Dennis Rodman Meets Dad in Manila After 42 Years

Dennis Rodman has had a long and storied career in basketball, but one very important figure in his life has not been with him on his journey.

Dennis Rodman’s dad did, in his defense, have his hands full when Rodman was growing up. The aptly-named Philander Rodman now admits to fathering a staggering 29 children by 16 mothers, and Rodman was just one of a small army of kids sired by his long-estranged dad.

Actually, statistically, if you have 30 kids, one of them is probably going to be as wildly successful as Dennis Rodman. It must be stressful to try to figure out which kid of 30 to stay in touch with in order to maximize that circumstance.

So, a few years back, Dennis Rodman wasn’t too keen on meeting up with the dude that provided half of his genetic material, and the famed b-ball player was just a bit weary about the dad thing. He didn’t express distaste, he merely said:

“I don’t hate the guy that brought me into this world… The fact is, if I saw him, I’ll just tell him, ‘You know, you’re a friend of mine.'”

Dennis Rodman’s estranged dad, who has 29 kids by 16 women, is named Philander. Can’t make this stuff up.

— Ben Strauss (@bstrauss1) July 19, 2012

The phrase “damning with faint praise” comes to mind. Dennis Rodman’s dad, who was wearing a hat that said “Yes, Dennis Rodman is my son,” said that he tried to meet his famous offspring six years ago in Manila, but the younger Rodman didn’t have time. Of the meeting this week, Philander Rodman says:

“It was great… I’ve been trying to meet him for years. And then last night, boom, I met him. I was really, really happy and very surprised.”

Prior to their recent meet-up, Dennis Rodman and his dad most recently met in late 1969.