Dennis Rodman on Sexuality, North Korea, and Mental Health

In a new feature for GQ’s 26th annual Men Of The Year Issue, NBA legend Dennis Rodman sits down with contributor Mychal Denzel Smith for a conversation about his sexuality, overcoming his emotional low points, his feelings toward North Korea, and more. The issue highlights the individuals—including musician Lil Nas X, NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and actor Tom Holland—who prioritized their own values over those of the powers that be, and used their platforms to spread messages of positivity.

Rodman says he started going to gay and drag clubs when he was a player on the San Antonio Spurs. He found people living as boldly as he yearned to—people who wanted more than anything else to be free. He also shares that although he has fantasized about being intimate with men, he’s never acted on it.  “When you talk to people in the gay community, someone who does drag, something like that, they’re so f*cking happy,” says Rodman. “They hold their head up so high every f*cking day, man. They’re not ashamed of shit. They’re not trying to prove anything, they’re just out there living their lives.”

“Bad Boy for Life” – Dennis Rodman for GQ Man of the Year 2021 shot by Renell Medrando and styled by Simon Rasmussen pic.twitter.com/WbmNOqFka6

— MALU (@musexmalu) November 18, 2021

Rodman’s fluidity around ideas of gender and questions about his sexuality weren’t new during his time in the NBA. When he was a boy, his younger sisters, who always outpaced Dennis in size and social status, used to dress him up in their clothes when they played together.

“We all had fun at the time, but that didn’t inspire me when I got older,” he says, before pausing, as if his brain is making a connection in real time. “I guess it kind of made me have a sense of awareness of, like, man, I used to dress like this as a kid. Wearing a dress made me feel good. You know?”

During his time in the NBA, Rodman was found in the parking lot of The Palace of Auburn Hills with a rifle in his lap, having very nearly killed himself. After that incident, he locked himself inside his home for nearly two months. Instead of suicide, he experienced a more metaphorical death. “I went from the mild-mannered, humble, emotional guy to this whole other side of Dennis Rodman,” he tells GQ. “When I came out of my house, that’s when the new Dennis came out.”