Mark Cuban Still Has Dennis Rodman’s Vetoed No. 69 Mavericks Jersey

After playing for the Pistons, Spurs, Bulls and Lakers, Dennis Rodman ended his 14-season NBA career playing for the Mavericks in Dallas.

Rodman, 38 at the time, only lasted 12 games with the Mavs before being released by the team and retiring from professional basketball. His tenure in Dallas was a rocky one, and it started out with the two-time All-Star not being able to get the jersey number he wanted.

According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year wanted to wear No. 69, but his request was denied by then-NBA commissioner David Stern.

Instead, Rodman wore No. 70 during his brief tenure with the team. But, prior to Stern denying Rodman’s request, incoming Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had some No. 69 jerseys printed up on spec — which he still has.

“Rodman requested No. 69 when he joined the Mavs,” Stein wrote on Twitter. “They even printed up a few jerseys which I’m told Mark Cuban still has — Cuban had just struck a deal to buy the team but was not fully ratified yet as the new owner. The NBA vetoed that number. Rodman went with No. 70 … 69 + 1.”

In ESPN’s Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse, the former rebound machine said Cuban was “a cool guy to me.” Rodman said Cuban actually let him live in his guest house when he first arrived in Dallas and didn’t kick him out after he threw parties there.

“He had faith in me,” Rodman told ESPN. “He felt bad it didn’t work out there. I told him, ‘I had a blast, thanks very much.’ We’ve been friends ever since. I talked to him a couple of weeks ago. It was never about the money. It was about the friendship. That’s refreshing.”

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