Inside Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra's whirlwind 9-day marriage: Late-night benders to 'unsound mind'
Retired professional basketball player, Dennis Rodman has played for Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. Besides his skill though, his eccentricity has also been part of his image.
On Sunday night's episode of 'The Last Dance,' Rodman's contribution to the Chicago Bulls in 1997-1998 amid teammate Scottie Pippen's injury, was focused on ESPN's docuseries about Michael Jordan. It was when Pippen returned, that things with Rodman took a negative turn, as Bulls writer Sam Smith recalled that Rodman, "became dramatic, drinking, partying and losing his connection with reality."
Legend Jordan also said, "You let him go on vacation, we’re not going to see him. You let him go to Vegas, and we’re definitely not going to see him," speaking of when Rodman told the team he was in need of a Vegas vacay.
While he was allowed to leave to Vegas with a 2-day return-back deal, his then-girlfriend, actress Carmen Electra recalled, “It was on, the party was starting right away. We’d go to his favorite restaurant, then we’d go to a night club, then we’d go to after hours, it didn’t stop. It was definitely an occupational hazard to be Dennis’ girlfriend. He was wild.” As it was expected, 48 hours passed and Rodman had not returned as the Bulls continued to defend their championship.
Here's the kicker - Michael Jordan himself had to travel to Las Vegas to get Rodman out of his vacay funk after the player wasn't heard from, for days. “He didn’t come back on time, we had to go get his ass out of bed. I’m not going to say what was in his bed, where he was, blah blah blah," Jordan said. “There was a knock on the door, it’s Michael Jordan, and I hid. I didn’t want him to see me like that, so I’m just hiding behind the couch with covers over me," Electra said of the incident.
It seems as though Electra had one-heck-of-a-time with Rodman—but does anyone remember their 9 day "unsound" marriage?
After dating for nine months, Electra and Rodman tied the knot on November 14, 1998, after what could be described as a "late-night bender" in Las Vegas. In an interview with People, chapel owner Barbara Taylor said, "They just arrived knocking at the door," and chapel manager Ron Myers spoke on Rodman's condition saying, "They weren’t huggy-huggy. He walked in and out fine." The marriage though was annulled 9 days later—it was Rodman who had filed for the annulment saying that he was of "unsound mind" when the duo had wed and exchanged vows.
The couple split up in 9 days but were officially divorced within a year.
It is safe to say that the duo had a rather bizarre relationship but it came with it's own sets of reasons. Electra had revealed that she was in "grief-induced self-destruction" when she had married the star. "What I saw, in the beginning, was this sort of a gentle giant who was in a lot of pain so in a way we understood each other. Our relationship was very passionate so when it was good, it was amazing and when it was bad, it was the worst," she revealed on Oprah Winfrey’s 'Where Are They Now?'
Electra had met Rodman after her mother's passing due to a brain tumor and the passing of her sister less than a month later. "I started drinking ... I just went into self-destruction," she revealed.
Watch 'The Last Dance' airs on ESPN Sunday nights at 9 p.m. for more interesting snippets.
