Thursday, June 4, 1998 | 9:56 a.m.
It was almost 5 o'clock this morning when Dennis Rodman asked a Las Vegas Hilton pit boss for another $5,000.
"Give it to him," the pit boss snapped at the craps dealer.
And Rodman was just getting started.
Just 11 hours earlier, the outrageous Chicago Bulls forward had played 40 minutes in an 88-85 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds despite a damaged right thumb.
But the "Worm" wasn't through Wednesday night -- or this morning. With coach Phil Jackson's blessing, Rodman made the hour flight from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas to put in a little overtime of his own.
Stationed at the head of a Hilton craps table, Rodman shot the dice more frequently than he did the basketball. He went 0-for-2 from the floor against the Jazz.
At one point he had accumulated more than $20,000 in chips. The stack was as colorful as all of his previous hair styles combined, but the dominant shades matched his current 'do: green and black, as in high-denomination chips.
It is uncertain how deep into the morning Rodman gambled at the Hilton because the Sun eventually had to go to press. The NBA's seven-time rebounding champ probably will pry himself away some time before Game 2 tips off around 6 p.m. Friday.
Rodman, 37, touched down at Signature Flight Support wearing a black T-shirt (imprinted with a request for oral sex), a black baseball hat (with "BONG" on it) and slacks that appeared to be designed for a security guard (gray tweed with a white stripe running down each side). In addition to the usual tattoos and body piercings, his sprained thumb was in a cast.
He and a group of friends were picked up by a pair of red Hilton limousines and whisked away.
One of his favorite hangouts, The Drink nightclub, was closed for the night, so Rodman and his entourage first ventured to the Hard Rock Hotel. He stayed, played and sashayed there until 1:40 a.m.
Then it was off to the Rio for a little rug cutting. Rodman is a professed fan of Boogie Knights, a local '80s band that plays at Club Rio every Wednesday night.
An hour later, shortly after Tiger Woods strolled by, Rodman and a male companion emerged from the trendy dance club and briskly strutted arm in arm to the casino cage. There, Rodman showed his first sign of outlandish behavior by berating a female cashier. After much pleading and hand gesturing, the 6-foot-7, 228-pounder stormed away without a chip.
On his way back to Club Rio, Rodman received a standing ovation from a row of blackjack tables. Ignoring the cast protecting his injured thumb, he shook hands with anyone who approached him. He reveled in the scene he had created.
Rodman grooved for another hour or so, then decided he needed some action. This time he left the club accompanied by a pair of blondes, one of whom climbed aboard for a piggyback ride through the casino.
The limousines headed straight for the Hilton, where Rodman knew his credit was good.
No longer does he shoot dice at the Mirage, the place where he and Madonna held numerous romantic encounters a few years ago. Rumor has it that Rodman was barred from the Mirage after a losing streak led him to him toss objects around the casino.
But at the Hilton, everything was as right as a Michael Jordan jump shot.
Cradling a smoldering stogie in his left hand and the dice in his right, Rodman ruled the roost as more than a dozen people gravitated to his table. A few hundred feet away in the empty sports book, the Bulls were listed as 2 1/2-point underdogs for Game 2.
Rodman was oblivious. He threw $5, $25, $100 chips around the table as if he were paying an NBA fine. Win or lose, he didn't blink. A crooked smile was the only emotion.
When he rolled the bones, he put more arc on them than he does his free throws. The dice seemed almost to skim the ceiling before dropping onto the green felt.
As the night wore on and the sun crept up, members of the entourage slumped into seats at nearby slot machines. But their bleary-eyed leader remained standing and showed no signs of slowing down.
Rodman is a 24-hour man. Las Vegas is a 24-hour town.
It looked like a natural.
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