Trinity Rodman talks about difficult relationship with dad Dennis: “He never protected us”

Trinity Rodman, a forward for the U.S. women’s national team Washington Spirit, said she is ready to come clean about her relationship with her father, NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman: “Our whole family protects him, even though he has never protected us.”

“Why was I so nice to someone so selfish?” Rodman asked on the latest episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “He almost made it worse because he put us in the public eye at a young age. … So it’s hard for me to feel the anger that I haven’t really been able to let out.”

Rodman has answered questions about her father before, but with great care. As this week’s guest on “Call Her Daddy,” she answered questions on a platform that went far beyond her typical interviews, touching on how her father wasn’t actively involved in her life and how their rocky relationship affected her has.

Dennis attended one of his daughter’s professional games — the Spirit’s quarterfinal playoff game in 2021 — and Rodman didn’t know her father would show up.

She described on “Call Her Daddy” that she had not seen or heard from her father in months, which led to her becoming emotional with him on the field. During a group conversation, she leaned on her friend and then-teammate Ashley Sanchez, and at halftime her coach asked if she wanted to sit out. But Rodman wanted to play.

After the game, despite her anger, she cried in Dennis’ arms in front of the audience and cameras.

“The whistle blew and I was so angry, like, ‘You took away this happy moment from me.’ “You’re connected to my head again,” Rodman said.

Two games later, the Spirit won their first NWSL championship and Rodman was named rookie of the year. What followed was a string of success throughout the NWSL and the US Women’s National Team.

Trinity Rodman cries to her father, Dennis, after the Washington Spirit won a 2021 quarterfinal playoff game. (Photo: Brad Smith / ISI Photos / Getty Images)

Rodman competed in her first World Cup in 2023 and headlined the USWNT’s “Triple Espresso” with Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Rodman scored three goals on the team’s path to the gold medal and recently helped the Spirit reach the NWSL final, where they lost to the Orlando Pride.

During the Olympics, Rodman received numerous questions about her father and tried to shift the focus to how her mother, Michelle Moyer, came to support her.

Rodman explained on “Call Her Daddy” that she is asked in interviews whether her father will attend her games or how he felt at moments in her career, but she doesn’t know the answers, which was part of her motivation to attend Podcast presented by Alex Cooper.

“And I feel like I tried to make it clear that I don’t know. I don’t know how he feels. I don’t know where he is,” Rodman said. “So it’s frustrating for my own mind to get these questions.”

Dennis spent 14 seasons in the NBA, winning five championships between the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and a spot on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He was an integral part of the Bulls’ historic 1997-98 season and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Trinity and her brother Dennis “DJ” Jr. attended his induction ceremony. During his speech, Dennis said that all he wanted in his career was to be a better father.

Trinity was 9 at the time and DJ was 10. When Rodman was asked about the moment on “Call Her Daddy,” she rolled her eyes.

“Do I believe him? Yes, I think he wishes he could fight his demons,” Rodman said. “I roll my eyes because you hear something so often but he doesn’t do anything to change it.

“The most frustrating thing about it, in my opinion, is that given his success and wealth, he was surrounded by a lot of toxic people who took his money and took advantage of him. … We tried to build that foundation and be the good people around him.”

When Rodman discussed her current relationship with Dennis on the podcast, she said she picks up the phone for him, not her.

“He’s not a father,” Rodman said. “Maybe through blood, but nothing else.”

Required reading

(Photo: Roger Wimmer / Getty Images)