Dennis Rodman is given an 11 game suspension for kicking a camera man

Incidents involving players and the crowd are always scary for league officials. It is one thing for players to fight with each other, but it is entirely a different thing when players fight with the crowd.  And Dennis Rodman, one of the greatest rebounders of all time, got himself into a heap of trouble in Minnesota.

On this day, January 17th, in 1997, Dennis Rodman was suspended for 11 games for kicking a camera man.  A few nights earlier, during a game in Minnesota against the Timberwolves, Rodman was on the ground and he kicked a camera man in the groin as he picked himself up off of the floor.  The camera man instantly complained of pain – and Rodman played it off as if it was not a big deal.

Rodman would later pay the camera man $200,000 to settle the issue out of court.  And while many fans believed that the camera man faked an injury to try and sue Rodman for money, the NBA clearly didn’t appreciate what Rodman had done.  The 11 game suspension was very hefty when you consider that players usually are suspended between 1 – 5 games when they get into a fight with each on the court.