"Karl Malone could be sick and having a baby at home and he will get a foul" - Dennis Rodman went to war with officials in 1994

Dennis Rodman 's "hate affair" with the officials had been going on as long as he could remember. As a member of the "Bad Boys" of the Detroit Pistons , he learned to walk a fine line between dirty and physicality. Of course, that puts The Worm under the referees' microscope at all times.

His move to San Antonio did little to improve that relationship. If anything, it brought the animosity from both sides to an all-time high.

Rodman felt the Spurs got the short end of the stick on the refs' calls, particularly in a late-season matchup against the Utah Jazz in 1994. And then, everything spilled over when the teams met again in the first round of the postseason.

Rodman lamented how the Spurs couldn't get any calls

The 1993-94 season was a weird one for the NBA. The three-time defending champion Chicago Bulls lost their heart and soul, Michael Jordan, to retirement. As a result, many felt the title was up for grabs, along with the MVP race and spots on the All-Star and All-NBA teams.

That put David Robinson firmly in the spotlight. The Admiral was having one of the finest seasons of his career, finishing second in MVP voting while averaging 29.8 points and 11.6 rebounds, both career-highs.

But as far as Rodman was concerned, D-Rob wasn't getting the respect he deserves. He believed other established stars were receiving calls that his teammate couldn't seem to buy and one name in particular kept coming up whenever The Worm aired his grievances.

"Karl Malone could be sick and having a baby at home and he will get a foul. But when it comes to David, he can't get a foul. He goes to church. What else does he need?" Rodman reacted .

Robinson attempted 14 free throws that night, two more than the entire Jazz starting lineup (12). However, the Demolition Man noted how Robinson "doesn't get a call when it counts."

"When a team like Utah beats you, it's ridiculous. For some reason, we are like the Rodney Dangerfields of the (expletive) NBA. David Robinson doesn't get a call when it counts. He has to work his (expletive) off to get a call. I guess he's not a superstar. I guess you have to be Michael Jordan to get a foul," he continued.

At one point, The Menace took matters into his own hands. He headbutted John Stockton, which got him fined and suspended, before criticizing the referees in a media conference. The Jazz point guard downplayed the incident , but apparently, it was Dennis' way of expressing his frustration over what he felt was unfair treatment.

As one would expect out of Rodman, his complaining never stopped. The No. 4 Spurs drew the No. 5 Jazz in the '94 playoffs and went at the refs again after San Antonio lost Game 3, 72-105. Malone and Stockton were again collateral damage in Rodman's rant.

"Stockton, he holds and throws David (Robinson) down, but they look at Stockton and say, `That's OK. You're all right.' And you get Karl Malone pushing and elbowing and hitting people hard, but, `That's OK. You're a good Samaritan. You live in Utah.' Stockton's supposed to be a good Samaritan, but he's cussing at me," Rodman said .

The Spurs ultimately lost the series, 3-1.

Three years later, it's like nothing changed. Rodman, playing for the Bulls, again criticized Malone and the referees in the 1997 NBA Finals. He changed his tune a bit in 1998, especially after the officials allowed more physicality in Game 2 of the Finals rematch. But still, the latter was more of a dig than a show of gratitude.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.