U.S. soccer star Trinity Rodman detailed her fractured relationship with her father Dennis Rodman in a heartbreaking interview this week.
“He’s a person,” she told podcaster Alex Cooper. “He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else.”
Rodman plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League but really made a name for herself at the Paris Olympics. She scored three goals for the Americans, including an epic winning tally in extra time against Japan in a quarterfinal, as the U.S. went on to win the gold medal.
The elder Rodman’s defense and rebounding tenacity helped the Detroit Pistons win two NBA championships and the Chicago Bulls three titles in the second part of their dynasty. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
But as a parent, he’s been almost a no-show, according to Trinity Rodman.
The 22-year-old soccer standout recalled attempts by her mother, Michelle Moyer, to keep their family together despite the chaotic atmosphere she accused her father of creating. Moyer initiated a divorce in 2004 but the union wasn’t dissolved until 2012, People reported.
“We tried to live with him, but he’s having parties 24/7. He’s bringing random bitches in,” Trinity Rodman said. And yet, she added, “I still believe that my dad hasn’t loved anyone after my mom. .. He doesn’t know how to.”
The younger Rodman described living in a car for a time with her mom and brother D.J. in Newport Beach, California, claiming her father withheld money. She also recalled attending events where the five-time NBA champion was being honored to give the illusion of a happy family.
Trinity Rodman painfully described one of her dad’s misguided attempts to re-establish contact at an NWSL playoff game in 2021. Images of their hug appeared to be a happy reunion but she said she cried out of bitterness. After small talk and a pledge from him that he would stay in touch, “radio silence,” she said.
“He’s an extremely selfish human being,” she said on Cooper’s “Call Me Daddy” show. “I think everything has always been about him.”
She said alcoholism has eroded his verbal capacity and she keeps the lines of communication open to keep her conscience clear, explaining that “If something does happen, God forbid, I want to know that I did that.”
She added, “Or if he needed to hear my voice before anything happens. That’s why I answer the phone, not for me.”
HuffPost reached out to Dennis Rodman’s rep for comment.
Here’s a segment in which Rodman recalls their awkward reunion at a game in 2021: