Dennis Rodman at the 2023 NYC Pride March

Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman made an appearance at a Pride parade in Houston on Sunday and clapped back at the negative comments he received on Instagram.

Rodman posted a picture of himself on Instagram greeting parade-goers while wearing a green skirt and a hat with a smiley face on it along with sunglasses over his face.

“Love will Always win,” he wrote on Instagram. “Happy Pride.”

However, Rodman received several negative comments on the post and as the remarks piled up, he posted a message on his Instagram Stories addressing the haters.

“Do your research guys,” he wrote, “#beenhim.”

His words were posted on top of a collage showing various pictures of Rodman during the prime of his NBA career wearing a wedding dress and other outfits that were deemed controversial for the time.

In 2019, Rodman talked to Business Insider about the attitudes toward LGBTQ athletes in the sports realm as some professional players stared to come out publicly as ɡɑy.

Rodman estimated at the time that about 10-20% of pro athletes were a part of the LGBTQ community.

He also spoke about the 1995 Sports Illustrated cover which he posed in drag.

He said he received a ton of praise from the ɡɑy community.

“They didn’t know the fact that when [they] shot that cover for the Sports Illustrated that that was the best-selling Sports Illustrated ever,” Rodman said. “And then the ɡɑy community started to reach out to me and said, ‘Wow, we never knew that our community can be represented like that in sports.’ And people didn’t know at the time that I was doing that.”

He added that he never thought it was a big deal.

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“I was, you know, doing all the drag clubs, I was dressing in drag. I was dressing in women’s clothes. I was doing lingerie and stuff like that and people in the ɡɑy community started embracing me,” he said.

“If you’re ɡɑy. I didn’t give a damn.”

Image via Getty/Margaret Norton

Today’s NBA might be more focused on off court style than any era before it. The pregame tunnel has become a runway of sorts that sees player arriving to the arena on a nightly basis in their freshest fits. Style has always been intertwined with professional basketball. Allen Iverson is another frequently referenced superstar when fans discuss the sport’s style icons. But another name, perhaps more polarizing than any other, is Dennis Rodman.

Calling Rodman unique is probably an understatement. In his NBA prime, he was raking in rebounds with slime green hair as a member of some of the most important teams in the league’s history. He attended a book signing in a wedding dress because he “married himself.” He was a competitor in professional wrestling matches. He wore women’s clothing on the red carpets of events. In the years following his Hall of Fame career, the legend became a poster child for gaudy brands like Von Dutch and Ed Hardy. More recently, he has captured headlines traveling to North Korea to visit dictator Kim Jong-un. Nobody could ever predict what Rodman’s next move would be, and yet that is the exact reason why he is has cemented himself as a pop culture icon and master class player in the NBA.

Rodman’s style was shocking for many. Some people were enamored by it. Others hate it. But there is no denying its impact. Given the recent string of episodes from ESPN’s multi-part documentary, The Last Dance, we got to thinking about just how legendary The Worm’s style really was. Love it or hate, Rodman was a trailblazer even if he didn’t know it as some of his style cues like nail polish, choker chains, and gender fluid silhouettes have become more commonplace.

In honor of the legend that is Rodman, we have decided to put together what we feel out some of his best outfits. Take a look at the full list below.

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

When: 1998

There is a lot to unpack in this photo. First of all, Hollywood Hulk Hogan is sitting beside Rodman in full NWO attire. Incredible. While obviously promoting an upcoming event for his brief stint in WCW, even Leno’s face looks perplexed here. But Rodman’s outfit is what we are here for. Rodman just oozes cool. His signature shades and piercings are present of course, his bucket hat would make Joe Exotic salivate, and the relaxed denim and brown Birkenstock sandals are both great choices too. As you will notice, many of Rodman’s fits would make sense if you saw someone wearing them today. This is just another example of that.

MTV Video Music Awards

When: 1995

This is one of those infamous outfits Rodman became synonymous with in the ‘90s. Before Kid Cudi was rocking the stage in a crop top and Young Thug got people talking wearing dresses on album covers, Rodman was a poster boy for gender fluid dressing. Arguably the greatest rebounder in NBA history pulled up to the 1995 MTV VMAs in a silver glitter cami shirt to show off his various tattoos, accessorized with plenty of silver jewelry and hot pink hair. The confidence is key here because against all odds he pulled this off.

MTV Video Music Awards

When: 1996

The following year, Rodman once again pulled up to the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall in one of the gender fluid fits he became known for. In comparison, this one is much more tame with a black velvet coat, matching pants, and front tie gold crop top. The thin diamond belt is a perfect accent. The cigar in hand aids the look too. Don status.

Sports Illustrated

When: 1993

If Dude Love fused with Rex from Napoleon Dynamite, you get this 1993 Rodman fit. The patterns clash so much that it almost looks like it makes sense. Either way, this is yet another example of Rodman being ahead of the curve on today’s trends. Vintage tie-dye T-shirts are popular right now. Well, Rodman was doing it 25 years ago. The beat up work boots are the perfect finishing touch to complete another one of those outfits that only Rodman could pull off.