Scottie Pippen was worried how Dennis Rodman would fit with the Chicago Bulls after Rodman got five technical fouls in the 1995 NBA preseason.

The Bulls acquired Rodman from the San Antonio Spurs on October 2, 1995.

“Over the eight preseason games, Dennis received five technical fouls,” Pippen wrote in his book. “I repeat: preseason. What was going to happen when the games started counting for real?”

In the summer of 1995, Phil Jackson asked Pippen and Michael Jordan how they felt about the Bulls trading for Rodman. Jordan and Pippen didn’t like Rodman since he used to harm them physically when he was on the Detroit Pistons, but surprisingly, neither superstar objected to the trade.

“So, in the summer of 1995, when Phil asked how I felt about the possibility of the Bulls acquiring Dennis, who was then 34, I didn’t object,” Pippen wrote in his book. “Nor did Michael. Not that there weren’t some concerns. Of course there were. Michael’s reaction was something to the effect of ‘Dennis Rodman? Really?’ Yes, really, and it made a lot of sense.”

Rodman wasn’t always on his best behavior with the Bulls, but he showed up when it mattered most. The big man averaged 5.2 points and 15.3 rebounds with Chicago and won three straight rebounding titles.

“He studied the tendencies of his opponents and teammates, planting himself in perfect rebounding position even before guys got into a shooting mode,” Pippen wrote in his book about Rodman. “Dennis possessed an unbelievable basketball IQ. He could have a tremendous impact on a game without scoring a single point. How many players can you say that about?”

Jordan, Pippen and Rodman guided the Bulls to three consecutive championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Chicago defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals and the Utah Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.

The Bulls won three straight titles before acquiring Rodman in 1995. They won rings in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

However, Rodman said in “The Last Dance” doc Chicago wouldn’t have won three more championships without him.

“You got the great Michael Jordan, the great Scottie Pippen, the great Phil Jackson, but if you take me away from this team, do they still win a championship? I don’t think so,” Rodman said. “I love Michael Jordan to death. I love Scottie Pippen, all these guys, but they really don’t do the things that I do. I’m the only guy who does all the dirty work, taking abuse from other players. I wanna go out there and get my nose broke. I wanna get cut. Something that’s gonna really just bring out the hurt, the pain. I wanna feel that.”

Pippen, Jordan and Rodman are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. The three NBA greats will be linked forever.