When Hulk Hogan pulled Dennis Rodman out of the NBA Finals

The world of wrestling is mourning the death of Hulk Hogan, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 71.

Hogan was one of the most iconic and best-loved names in the world of WWE, taking part in more WrestleMania events than any other Wrestler. He transcended wrestling and was a genuine A-list star at the height of his fame.

That incredible popularity helped him to bring new names to the WWE, and few were bigger than NBA legend Dennis Rodman. The Chicago Bulls player was a key part of one of the most dominant teams of all time but he was not always an easy character in the locker room.

In fact, in the middle of the 1998 NBA Finals, with the Bulls leading 2-1 against the Utah Jazz, Rodman left the team and flew to Detroit to join Hulk Hogan at the WCW Monday Nitro event at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Speaking about the incident years later in the Got Sole podcast, Rodman explained how it came about.

“I’ve known Hulk Hogan for a long time,” Rodman began.“One day, he came at me and said, ‘Dennis, I want you to be my tag team partner in Detroit,’ and I said, ‘All right, Hulk, I could do that,’ because I could wrestle. I used to do it with him back in the day. He said, ‘Dennis, what you doing? It’s gonna be tomorrow,’ I said, ‘Tomorrow? I got a damn game man.”

But Hogan wasn’t to be put off that easily and he insisted that Rodman leave the team to join him in the ring.

Hogan told Rodman: “You just fly down for an hour, I’ll fly you right back’. I said, ‘Alright, cool’, and put my NWO outfit on, had the hat on and, got on the private plane, and got to Detroit. That was pandemonium.”

The incident was featured on the Netflix ‘Last Dance’ documentary following the Chicago Bulls. It is used as evidence of Rodman’s off-beat personality and his love for controversy. But it also serves to highlight the incredible fame that Hogan enjoyed, able to pull in one of the NBA’s most famous athletes in the midst of a championship series.

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