manchester showbiz
Friday, 27th January 2006
Celebrity BB: Dennis gets back in the game NEW CHALLENGE: DennisThe 6ft 7in former Chicago Bulls star has re-ignited his career by agreeing to play one game with the Sussex club against Guildford on Saturday. The club, which announced the high-profile signing today, also has a retention option for two further games if Rodman performs well. Bears owner Nick Nurse described the signing of Rodman as "awesome". He said: "It's a dream to work with Dennis, and it's going to be amazing for the guys to play out there with him. It's going to be a story they can all tell their grandchildren. "It's not the first time I have thought about signing Dennis, but when I heard about the whole Big Brother thing, and how amazing he was in the house, I just had to go get him, and that's what we did. "Obviously he's 44 and everyone saw him smoking all week long on Big Brother but actually his people say he's in the best shape of his life and very serious about playing, so much so that he has a clause in his contract that if an NBA club in the States wants to sign him then he can go." HQ Scot Doug Currie, the chief executive of principle Bears sponsor Genesis Forwarding Services, spoke today of the announcement at the firm's HQ in Eastbourne. He would not be drawn on how much Rodman was being paid, saying only: "It recognises his achievements, his stature and his personality. "We do not want to be a docile sponsor and we see this as a wonderful opportunity. The club and Genesis hope Rodman's celebrity status and new-found fame with the British public will boost ticket sales. The gentle giant dated Madonna and in 1998 married ex-Baywatch star Carmen Electra for just nine days. He was considered one of the best defenders of his generation of players, winning five NBA titles but was also known for his controversial antics on and off the court. He claimed he could not even remember getting hitched to Carmen Electra in the Las Vegas chapel because he was so drunk. Born in New Jersey, he only became prospective basketball material in his late teens, when he grew 11in in 12 months. The Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls star grabbed the world's attention with his tie-dye hair colours, tattoos, and body piercings. During his basketball career he was found sitting in his pick-up truck with a loaded shotgun - he later claimed he had purged the old Dennis Rodman for a new one. Dennis has been a campaigner for gay rights, Aids and breast cancer sufferers, and is a staunch anti-fur campaigner.
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