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

When Trinity Rodman became a star in the NWSL, the first thing many people learned about her was that she was the daughter of spirited NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.

The child of a great athlete becoming a star is not an uncommon story in America. As a rule, this is a naturally gifted child who is allowed to blossom from a young age and is supported by their parents at every stage. However, it was always made clear about Trinity Rodman that Dennis had very little to do with her height.

In public, Trinity’s mother, Michelle Moyer, called her role model. Dennis and Moyer divorced in 2012 when Trinity was about 10 years old. Trinity’s relationship with Dennis has always been described as complicated at best, with the father enjoying a lifestyle hardly conducive to child-rearing and the daughter surviving for long periods without speaking to her father.

Trinity then went on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and expressed her feelings towards Dennis for the first time in an episode released on Wednesday. She remembered her father refusing to give her mother money to help them and being extremely reticent about giving them access to his money.

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

And then what happened happened when Dennis wanted to be known as a father when he showed up unannounced at one of Trinity’s NWSL games during their first season in 2021. She saw and heard him in the crowd without seeing or hearing him. Months later, she began to cry in the field.

Trinity set up the winning goal in the second half and didn’t know how she would feel or what would 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 game was pretty “healthy,” and Dennis told her he wanted to see her again soon. She felt comfortable enough with their interaction to post on social media about a “new beginning” for both of them. That was in 2021. After that there was “radio silence”. He never contacted her and she did not see him again for over two years, until the end of 2023.

After that incident with her father her freshman year, Trinity said she “lost hope of ever getting him back.”

Trinity is considered one of the brightest stars in football today, with an Olympic gold medal, an NWSL championship, a CONCACAF championship, two FIFA Best XI awards and an NWSL Rookie of the Year award at just 22 years. She is the face of the Washington Spirit, a team that reached the NWSL finals this year and that many predict will do the same in 2025, and part of a devastating attack for the USWNT that includes Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith.

She is still working on her relationship with Dennis, but has a dark attitude towards it. She hasn’t saved his number because he keeps changing it and never tells her. She believes he is an alcoholic and that it is “painful” to hear his voice when he calls 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 “drives me crazy.” But she still takes his calls, even though they are few and far between.