Olympic gold medal-winning soccer player Trinity Rodman recently opened up about her relationship with her father Dennis Rodman, who is a retired NBA star and multiple championship winner.
Trinity, who plays for the Washington Spirit, touched on their relationship during a sit-down with Alex Cooper on her Call Her Daddy podcast, CNN reported. “He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else,” the 22-year-old said. “Hearing his voice is painful.”
Though Rodman reportedly amassed over $20 million during his career in the NBA, Trinity said she lived in a car at a certain period of her life. “We had (a Ford) Expedition and we kind of lived in that for a little bit,” she revealed.
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“We tried to live with him, but he’s having parties 24/7, he is bringing random b*tches in. He loves the spotlight. He loves the cameras. Before the divorce (from Trinity’s mother Michelle Moyer in 2012) happened, my dad was actually helping money wise,” she added. “He would actually give money to my mom and let us kind of live life a little bit, but then when the divorce happened, it was just like, ‘F**k you guys.’”
“I think he’s an extremely selfish human being,” she continued. “I think everything has always been about him.”
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Trinity was the Number 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL draft by the Spirit, which then won the league championship. Trinity was drafted at the age of 18, making her the youngest player to be drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League during that period. She scored seven goals and had seven assists, and was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.
In 2022, the Washington Spirit signed her to a four-year deal. The extension was worth more than $1.1 million, making it the richest contract in the history of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), according to The Washington Post.
Trinity also won gold with the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) at the Paris 2024 Olympics, scoring three goals and recording one assist. Rodman was present to watch her daughter and the Washington Spirit play against the North Carolina Courage in their quarterfinal match in 2021. But he had not spoken with Trinity for many months, CNN reported.
“When he showed up at my game, I was, like, so mad,” Trinity recalled. “I started crying on the field. So I’m trying to play the soccer game and I’m crying.”
And though the Washington Spirit won the game, Trinity said her father’s presence negatively affected her. “I was so mad. I was like ‘You took this happy moment from me. You f**ked with my head again,’” she said. “I’m walking over there (towards Dennis) so mad, like ‘F**k you.’ I walk over there, he grabs my head and I just start bawling into his arms as if it’s a daddy-daughter (moment).”
Rodman had a photo moment when he embraced her after the match, and Trinity later took to Instagram to share details about their relationship, explaining that she hoped things may get better.
“After that, radio silence. I didn’t see him for, like… until this year,” Trinity told Cooper. “Stupid me for thinking that was gonna be some type of new spark. That was me every single time. He would come around, and I’d be like ‘Okay, here it is again. We’re gonna start something. He’s gonna be around.’ Boom, months and months and months (without speaking to him). This time, it was years. I think after that was when I lost hope in ever getting him back.”
Rodman was in his late 30s when he met his biological father, CNN reported. In a 2019 interview with ESPN, the seven-time NBA rebounding champion opened up about his hopes of being there for his children.
“For some reason, it’s very hard for me to break out of that cycle,” he admitted. “I never had anyone to ever do that for me.”
