Rodman, on the Rebound, Makes Jam Debut

Dennis did Long Beach on Friday, and no one had to call the cops.

Actor, author, bon vivant and five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman played his first professional basketball game in almost four years, suiting up for the Long Beach Jam of the American Basketball Assn.

Rodman’s NBA comeback try began in a community college gym last Saturday, and after six days of workouts with the Jam, he took the court Friday with his familiar No. 91 jersey and his hair dyed the orange and blue colors of his new team.

“I know a lot of people would say it’s just another one of your stunts,” Rodman said, “but how many guys at 42 years old would do it?”

Hulk Hogan, the pro wrestler, arrived by halftime to see what his one-time tag-team partner had in mind and was immediately swarmed by photographers and autograph seekers at his courtside seat.

A sellout crowd of 4,373 at the Pyramid, which included Laker scouts Bill Bertka and Ronnie Lester, watched Rodman take 14 rebounds but fail to score in 28 minutes during the Jam’s 130-110 victory over the Fresno HeatWave.

The fans, including one soul wearing a Rodman Halloween mask, cheered Rodman’s every move, often falling silent when he was out of the game. They watched him devote most of his energies to the defensive end of the court.

Not that Rodman was all that effective a defender, mind you. When Fresno’s Randy Holcomb made three-point shots over Rodman on consecutive possessions in the second quarter, HeatWave Coach Sean Higgins talked trash.

“He’s too old, he’s too old,” shouted Higgins, who played at Fairfax High and was a member of Michigan’s 1989 national championship team.

At game’s end, Rodman rated his performance a six out of 10. “I could have been better,” he said. “I was a little afraid to go all out. I was tentative in the first half. I couldn’t get into the game. I had fear in my eyes.”

This seven-team ABA should in no way be confused with the league of Julius Erving, George Gervin and David Thompson. The Jam’s roster included former UCLA standout Matt Barnes and local prep legend Schea Cotton.

But until October there had been no reason to believe Rodman had an interest in anything but partying heartily at his Newport Beach home. Police had gone to his home more than 80 times in recent years to respond to complaints.

But in October, Rodman was involved in a motorcycle accident in Las Vegas and began to think seriously about a comeback. He told reporters earlier this week that he hasn’t had a drink of alcohol since October.

Last year, Rodman was cited for illegally parking his 47-foot speedboat at somebody else’s dock. In 2001, police were called to a restaurant in Newport Beach after Rodman allegedly sprayed patrons with a fire extinguisher.

All of which seemed to signal the end of Rodman’s basketball career. He hadn’t played in the NBA since suiting up for 12 games in 1999-2000 with the Dallas Mavericks, after the Lakers had cut him after he played 23 games in 1998-99.