Every once in a while an athlete comes along who becomes more than just a player. They become a celebrity. These are the people known by just their first or last name (or a nickname). These are the athletes who are recognizable outside of their sport. Dennis Rodman is one of those celebrities. I didn't realize just how big Rodman is until I had the privilage of walking through Roosevelt Field Mall with him.
Dennis had been in New York for a few days leading up to his appearance at Hall of Heroes. Friday he was on Howard Stern talking about the upcoming signing. Stern is another one of those individuals who has become bigger than their occuapation. I was amazed at how many people came out to the mall based on Stern's reccomendation. There was a huge mix of fans awaiting Dennis at the store. It was not our usual crowd. While we had some great unsigned photos for sale, many customers opted to bring their own unique items. I saw everything from books to wrestling figurines. Dennis wrestled for a little while in the WCW in the late 90's. I was actually a big fan back then. That is why Rodzilla and I posed for a photo doing the old "NWO 4 Life" sign.
Rodman is a really interesting guy. He just got back from a trip to the Philippines and has been all over the world on his ongoing "Bad Boy World Tour". The NBA is huge over there. Vince Carter visited the Philippines last summer and told me about the mobs of people awaiting him everywhere. One can only imagine the reception that the Worm got. He said it was crazy.
There was a customer who brought the NBA Top 50 Players book to be signed. Dennis immediately flipped to the back of the book and called me over to look. It turns out that he is the only player without a number. Techically that would make him number 51. Rodman was relatively young when the list came out but was too great a defensive force not to include him. His rebounding numbers are staggering. The guy was truly a machine and was named to the NBA All Defensive First Team seven times. That book would definitely be incomplete without the seven time rebounding champion.
We got some great product signed including Bulls jerseys and an unbelievable diving photo. Check the auction for some limited "Worm" inscription items. After signing for the public we made our way down to the basement to finish up with the basketballs. We needed four security guards to walk us down. I have been in that mall countless times with hundreds of athletes but have never walked around with someone as recognizable as Dennis. All we heard were cheers and cries of "Dennis!, heard you on Stern!" It was incredible. It took about fifteen minutes to complete the basketballs. Upon finishing the balls, the security guards each asked me if it was ok to take a photo with Rodman. That was another first for me. Dennis happily took pictures with them as a show of gratitude for shielding us from the excited mob of shoppers. We then parted ways and Rodman headed back to Manhattan where he was going to celebrate his birthday.