Another member of the Rodman family is headed for the athletic spotlight.
The Washington Spirit selected forward Trinity Rodman with the No 2 overall pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft on Wednesday. Rodman, 18, is the daughter of Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman.
The younger Rodman was due to play for Washington State before the last college soccer season was wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic. She has played on the US national under-20 women’s team, and she helped lead that squad to the Concacaf championship in March 2020.
“To even just be in the draft with my situation and my age is insane, but to be No 2 to an amazing team is out of this world, like I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Rodman told ESPN. “DC has just got an awesome program, awesome team. The coach [Richie Burke] is amazing. I’ve talked to him a couple times. I know he’s a hard head coach, but I’m so excited to be his player and learn and get better.”
She said regarding her father: “He was an amazing athlete, and I got those genes from him, but I’m excited to be known as Trinity Rodman and not just as Rodman‘s daughter. I’m excited to pave my own path and get better throughout this journey.”
Expansion team Racing Louisville used the first overall pick in the draft on a member of the full US women’s national team, Emily Fox. The 22-year-old defender played at the University of North Carolina and has made three appearances for the USWNT.
At 5ft 10in, Trinity inherited her height from her father, who is 6ft 7in. He won five NBA titles during his hall of fame career, two with the Detroit Pistons and three with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. He was thrust back into the spotlight last year when he featured in The Last Dance, the wildly popular documentary that focused on Jordan’s Bulls.
Trinity’s brother, DJ, plays college basketball at Washington State.
