Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman recently claimed that he, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had the ability to easily lock down Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
The Chicago Bulls of the '90s were one of the best teams of all time. Served by the trio of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, the Bulls were virtually unstoppable.
Taking pride in his ability to clamp down on the best in the league, Rodman said he would have had no trouble guarding James and Durant, who are widely considered the most dominant players in the league today.
"You know who could lock LeBron up? Me, Mike and Scottie could. F**k yeah. I would have locked his a** up. LeBron is so easy to play. He's so f***ing easy to play, he doesn't have any moves. Only move he has is streaking down the line. He ain't got no moves.
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
"Where he going?? Where is he going that's quick? Scottie Pippen would have shut his f**ing a** down quick before I get to him. His game is too simple, he's just big. I'm 260 and 6'8" and 6'9", that's the only thing he got pretty much. I played against guys seven-foot, 300, so it doesn't really matter."
Rodman was far from finished. He followed up his shot at James with some comments on Durant.
"KD, same thing. Once you know people's game, it's very easy to play them. They just long and tall."
Would Dennis Rodman have been able to guard LeBron James and Kevin Durant?
Dennis Rodman is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards.
But whether he would have been able to guard James and Durant is something we will never have an answer to.
James' physical ability and quickness in his prime made him extremely difficult to guard despite what Rodman considers a "simple" style of play.
Durant poses a different challenge considering his length and ability to score from all areas of the court.
While it is natural for Rodman to take pride in his defensive skills, he could have done so without trying to knock down two of the most gifted offensive players the game has ever seen.
Brooklyn Nets Nation! You can check out the latest Brooklyn Nets Schedule and dive into the Nets Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.