Trinity Rodman opens up about relationship with father Dennis: ‘He’s not a father. Maybe with blood, but nothing else’

When Trinity Rodman broke into NWSL stardom, the first thing many people learned about her was her status as the daughter of mercurial NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.

The child of a sports great becoming a star is not an unusual story in America. It usually features a naturally gifted child who is allowed to flourish from a young age, with parents providing support at every stage. What was always made clear about Trinity Rodman, however, was that Dennis had very little to do with her greatness.

In public, Trinity would credit mother Michelle Moyer as her role model. Dennis and Moyer divorced in 2012 when Trinity was approximately 10 years old. Trinity’s relationship with Dennis was always described as complicated at best, with the father enjoying a lifestyle hardly conducive to child-rearing and the daughter experiencing long stretches without speaking to her father.

Then Trinity went on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and revealed her feelings about Dennis for the first time in an episode published on Wednesday. She recalled that her father refused to give her mother any money to help them and was extremely controlling when he would give them access to his money.

Trinity described living with her mother in a Ford Expedition “for a bit” and giving up living with her father because of “partying 24/7” and him “bringing random bitches in.” She remembers going to events like his jersey retirement and his Hall of Fame induction, getting her hair and makeup done, all the while knowing the image he portrayed was far from the truth.

And then there was what happened when Dennis wanted to be known as Dad when he showed up to one of Trinity’s NWSL games unannounced in her first season in 2021. She saw and heard him in the crowd without seeing or hearing from him for months, and she started crying on the field.

Trinity set up the winning goal in the second half and didn’t know how she would feel or what was going to happen when the final whistle blew and she would have to interact with her father.

Trinity said the rest of their time together after the match was pretty “healthy” and Dennis told her he would see her soon. She felt good enough about their interaction to post about “a new beginning” for both of them on social media. That was in 2021. After that it was “radio silence”. He never reached out to her and she did not see him again for over two years, until late 2023.

It was after that incident with her father in her rookie year that Trinity says she “lost hope of ever getting him back.”

Trinity now stands as one of the brightest stars in soccer with an Olympic gold medal, an NWSL championship, a CONCACAF championship, two FIFA Best XI honors and an NWSL Rookie of the Year award at just 22 years old. She is the face of the Washington Spirit, a team that reached the NWSL finals this year and is expected by many to do the same in 2025, and part of a devastating attack for the USWNT featuring Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith.

She is still working on her relationship with Dennis, but has a sharp outlook on it. She hasn’t saved his number because he keeps changing it and never tells her. She believes he is an alcoholic and hearing his voice when he calls is “painful” both because she misses him and hears how alcoholism has changed the way he speaks. In fact, Trinity says that every time they interact on the phone, “it’s f***ing me.” But she still takes his calls, even though they are rare.