Trinity Rodman Has Made Her Opinion on Her Dad Very Clear
United States women's soccer star Trinity Rodman has been in the spotlight this week, rooting on her boyfriend Ben Shelton as he aims to win his first career grand slam at Wimbledon.
Rodman, 23, is an impressive athlete in her own right. Last summer, she won an Olympic gold medal with the USWNT in Paris, and the Washington Spirit forward has won a championship and a Rookie of the Year award in the National Women's Soccer league (NWSL).
Rodman comes from a strong athletic background as the daughter of five-time NBA Champion and Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. However, while "The Worm" may have passed down his genes to his daughter, the two don't share a strong relationship.
During an episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast last December, Trinity addressed the rocky times she's had with her dad, including having to go to his jersey retirement and his Hall of Fame induction ceremonies while knowing things were not what they seemed publicly.
"He loves the spotlight. He loves the cameras. He loves bringing his children on stage and being like, 'Oh, these are my kids,'" she said, via Yahoo Sports.
Rodman also recalled when her father showed up unannounced at one of her NWSL games in 2021, appearing in the stands even though the two had not spoken in months.
"So I'm trying to play this soccer game and I'm crying. ... I'm crying. No one knows what the f---'s going on. ... And I'm like, 'Dude, my dad's here.'" Rodman explained. "I finish that half and cry my eyes out in the locker room at halftime. And my coach was like, 'Do you want to play?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I want to win. Hello?' And I'm like, 'He's not going to take me from winning this either, f--- you!'"
Rodman wound up assisting on the winning goal for the Spirit in the second half, but that didn't prevent an awkward moment with her father in the stands after the game.
"The whistle blew and I was so mad, like, 'You took this happy moment from me. You f----d with my head again,'" she said. "And then I walk over, and again there's cameras everywhere. ... And all I did was cry. I walk over there, he grabs my head and I just start bawling in his arms, as if it's a daddy-daughter ..."
While that interaction may have actually worked out okay for Rodman, she said she didn't hear from her father for over two years afterwards, during which time she "lost hope in ever getting him back."
Rodman said she talks to her father periodically and will answer his calls, even though she doesn't have his number saved because he often changes it without telling her.
"I answer the phone now for my conscience, to be like, he needed to hear my voice before anything else happens. That's why I answer the phone, not for me," she explained.
"He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else."
It would be great if Dennis and Trinity could come to a better place in their relationship at some point, but as of now, that unfortunately seems unlikely.