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

Olympic soccer gold medalist Trinity Rodman may be the daughter of a legendary athlete, but she revealed she hadn’t heard from her father, Dennis Rodman, in years.

Trinity Rodman, 22, broke into what she described as “uncharted territory” by discussing her family in an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Wednesday.

Trinity Rodman, who became the youngest player admitted to the National Women’s Soccer League at 18 and was crucial to the Washington Spirit’s championship in her rookie year, is a rising star in the soccer world.

This summer, she quickly became a household name when she helped the United States bring home its first gold medal in women’s soccer since the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

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

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

But to Trinity Rodman, he was an absentee father who failed his family both emotionally and financially, she said.

“I think in terms of the father situation – in terms of what I’ve filtered and talked about – I feel like me and my brother have spoken about it very generously and very selflessly,” she said.

Dennis Rodman did not respond to 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 lasted from 2004 to 2012. Trinity Rodman said her mother struggled with money and her father barely gave them enough to pay the rent.

For a time, Moyer and her children were homeless.

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

When Dennis Rodman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, he gave a tearful speech and said he never had a father. He seemed to express some remorse for being a bad husband and father.

“One thing I regret – I wish I was a better father,” he said.

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

“Even now, I try to be honest and still give him sympathy,” she said. “It’s frustrating for me because in reality I think he’s an extremely selfish person. I think everything was always about him.”

Trinity Rodman recalled bursting into angry tears during her NWSL quarterfinal game in 2021 when she realized her father – who she hadn’t spoken to in months – had shown up unannounced. She said she cried her eyes out in the locker room at halftime before coming back onto the field to win the game.

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