Olympian Trinity Rodman opens up about estranged relationship with father Dennis Rodman

Olympic gold medalist Trinity Rodman may be the daughter of a legendary athlete, but the American soccer star revealed she spent years not hearing from her father, Dennis Rodman.

The 22-year-old waded into what she described as “new territory” by discussing her family in an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Wednesday.

Trinity Rodman, who at 18 became the youngest player to be drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League and was pivotal for the Washington Spirits championship win in her rookie yearis a rising star in the football world.

She soared into a household name this summer as she helped the United States claim its first gold medal in women’s soccer since the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

But “Rodman” isn’t exactly an unfamiliar name to sports fans.

Dennis Rodman was a five-time NBA champion, winning three of them with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s alongside Michael Jordan. At the height of his fame, the striker developed a rebellious reputation with an unconventional style and outlandish antics.

For Trinity Rodman, however, he was an absentee father who abandoned his family both emotionally and financially, she said.

“I think in terms of the dad situation — in terms of what I’ve filtered and what I’ve talked about — I feel like me and my brother have been very generous with the way we’ve talked about it and very selfless. ” she said.

Dennis Rodman did not respond to NBC News’ requests for comment Wednesday.

She and her older brother, DJ, were born during Dennis Rodman’s relationship with Michelle Moyer, but the couple separated when Trinity Rodman was still a toddler. The divorce was drawn out from 2004 to 2012. Trinity Rodman said her mother struggled with money and her father barely gave them enough to pay rent.

For a time, Moyer and her children were homeless.

“Imagine living in a car and going to a rich school; it was the weirdest thing,” she said. “We lived in a car, but then we could afford to stay in a motel for a bit, so we were back and forth a bit.”

Dennis Rodman gave a tearful speech in 2011 when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, saying he never had a father himself. He apparently expressed some remorse for being a bad husband and a bad father.

“I have one regret, I wish I was a better father,” he said.

For some periods, Trinity Rodman said she only saw her father three or four times a year, even though they both lived in the same city.

“Even now I try to be honest about it and I still give him sympathy,” she said. “Which is frustrating to me because I really think he’s an extremely selfish person. I think everything has always been about him.”

Trinity Rodman recalled breaking down in angry tears during her 2021 NWSL quarter-final match when she realized her father – who she hadn’t spoken to in months – had turned up unannounced. She said she cried her eyes out in the locker room at halftime before returning to the court to win the game.

“The whistle blew and I was so mad,” she said. “Like you took this happy moment away from me.”