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On April Fools’ Day many are known for making silly jokes or pulling pranks, though not everyone finds them funny.
But one of the more cruel April Fools’ jokes had to do with NBA legend Dennis Rodman. On April 1, various social media sites like Instagram, X, and Facebook claimed that the 63-year-old was deceased.
A few fake accounts shared a black and white photo of Rodman — which, given a closer look, appears to be an AI picture — paired with his date of birth and the date of his alleged passing written at the bottom center.
One post claimed that “Dennis Rodman was found in his apartment today. Police reports indicate the former Chicago Bulls star met his fate.”
Several people condemned the Instagram account for making what they considered to be a tasteless joke.
One person said, “Saying someone died for April Fools is bottom barrel jokes… do better,” while a second wrote, “Nah man this aint april fool’s too far.”
Someone else wrote, “First rule of comedy is if you’re going to be offensive, it’s gotta be funny…there’s literally no joke here.”
A third person, who didn’t believe the news but also didn’t quite grasp that it was a prank asked, “Who’s your source, don’t post this today if it’s not factual information.”
Rodman himself seemed to take no major offense to the morning jokes as he responded to the prank to ease fans’ anxiety and concerns.
Around 2:30 pm, the five-time NBA champion shared an Instagram photo in shades, wearing a red Chicago Bulls Hat and a black zip up hoodie while throwing both of his thumbs up and smiling.
In the caption, Rodman wrote, “Yesss Sirr Alive and Well What’s up,” using hashtags “alive” and “imhere” as assurance.
It’s only four months into the new year and 2025 has already had a rocky start with celebrities. Thus far beloved celebrities like George Foreman, Angie Stone, Roberta Flack, D’Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone! and Irv Gotti, to name a few, have all unfortunately passed away.
Rodman is a former basketball player who was drafted in 1986 by the Detroit Pistons. He also famously played for teams like the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks. Rodman was released from the Mavericks in 2000 and retired from the league.
