ABC News(NEW YORK) –The new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse, premiering Tuesday night, takes a “definitive look” at the controversial former athlete.
The “better” is the now 58-year-old Rodman’s improbable rise from airport janitor to basketball star, earning a total of five NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls.
The “worse”? His drunken off-court antics, and a controversial friendship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the latter of which he hopes will ultimately lead to better U.S.-North Korean relations.
“It’s very sensitive to people these days, but it was a great experience for me to do that,” Rodman tells ABC News. “I think that if something good comes out of it, I hope President Trump can persevere from that right there and make it work.”
The documentary covers Rodman’s many highs and lows, which begs the question: Is he happy these days?
“I think I’m happy for the fact that I’m still living,” says Rodman. “Happy the fact that I can really see my kids grow up. It’s been a really difficult time on and off for the past 35 years, but I think now my whole focus now, every time I think about my kids it gives me the purpose to live a little bit more you know.”
One source of pride for Rodman is the legacy he believes he’ll leave behind.
“Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, they’re everlasting, rock stars…I’m in that category,” he says. “You know, with Steve Jobs, innovator, creator, stuff like that. You know, way before his time.”
Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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