Dennis Rodman has confronted his inner “demons” about parenthood through the years.
“I think the only major demon I have right now is trying to convince myself that I’m a good dad,” Rodman said during a 2020 ESPN interview. “It’s very hard for me to try to break out of that cycle. It’s just one of those things where I never had anyone to ever do that [be a dad] for me and I think sometimes, ‘Why am I doing it for somebody else?’”
He added, “Knowing that’s my child, that’s my wife or that’s my mother, that’s my sister and it’s hard for me to just gravitate to people, like, that’s close to me. It’s difficult even though inside I love them.”
The retired Chicago Bulls athlete shares eldest daughter Alexis with ex-wife Annie Bakes and kids D.J. and Trinity with ex-wife Michelle Moyer.
Since the children have grown up, they’ve been candid about navigating an estrangement from Rodman.
“He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else,” Trinity said on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in December 2024. “We never really asked for anything unless we really needed it. We just want you. I think for him, he’s never understood the fact, because he’s never experienced it. … He’s never understood that people could actually just want to be around him and to just want to make him happy.”
Keep scrolling to meet Rodman’s family:
Philander ‘Phil’ and Shirley Rodman
The NBA icon was primarily raised by single mother Shirley after Phil left during his childhood. Phil and Shirley also shared daughters Debra and Kim.
Rodman and Phil have been estranged, reuniting in person in 1969 and 2012. (Phil lives in the Philippines.)
“It was great,” Phil told the Associated Press in 2012. “I’ve been trying to meet him for years. And then last night, boom, I met him. I was really, really happy and very surprised.”
Rodman announced in September 2024 that his mother, Shirley, had died.
Alexis Rodman
Rodman first became a parent in 1988, welcoming daughter Alexis with then-girlfriend Annie Bakes.
Alexis married Robert Bunfill in August 2014, three years before welcoming son Vincent.
“Wow, congrats to my daughter Alexis and her husband for the birth of their 1st baby: Vincent! I can’t believe I’m a Grandfather,” Rodman gushed via X in June 2017.
Shaquille O’Neal’s son Sharif, Serena Williams’ daughter, Olympia, and more kids are proving to be just as athletic as their parents. The retired professional basketball player’s son transferred to Louisiana State University from the University of California Los Angeles in 2020. He chose the university because people there “didn’t really talk about” his dad, he […]
Dennis ‘D.J.’ Rodman Jr.
Rodman and ex-wife Michelle Moyer welcomed their first child together, son DJ, in April 2001.
Like his dad, DJ is a basketball player and was on the University of Southern California team. He graduated in May 2024.
Trinity Rodman
Rodman and Moyer welcomed their youngest child in May 2002.
Trinity is also an athlete, playing pro soccer for the Washington Spirit. She was on Team USA during the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. During the Paris Olympics, Trinity and her teammates walked away with the gold medal.
Trinity announced in May 2024 that she is dating Cleveland Browns athlete Trinity Benson.
