Trinity Rodman, one of the USWMT’s brightest young stars, is stepping into the public eye not just for her achievements on the field, but also for the complex and often painful personal history she continues to carry with her father, former Detroit Pistons icon Dennis Rodman.
The daughter of the NBA Hall of Famer, Trinity’s relationship with him remains deeply fractured – something she addressed again recently while attending Wimbledon in support of her boyfriend, tennis player Ben Shelton.
While many sports legacies come with parental guidance and public pride, Trinity’s journey has unfolded in the absence of such a figure as the former Chicago Bulls star was never a consistent part of her life.
She has not shied away from addressing that reality and did so once again, as the 23-year-old National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) star called the public discussion of her family “new territory.”
And though the world remembers Dennis Rodman for his wild charisma and on-court brilliance, Trinity’s account paints a very different image of their bond, or lack thereof as she disowns him.
Trinity disowns her father
“He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else,” Trinity told NBC, a brutal comment to hand to Dennis but perhaps fair considering her mother, Michelle Moyer, was left to raise Trinity and her brother DJ alone.
Often facing harsh realities like housing insecurity, at one point, Trinity recalled, “home” meant living in a car. That’s despite Rodman making approximately $27 million dollars through his career, before endorsements and sponsorships.
Rodman’s presence at Wimbledon this week was intended to be a show of love and support for Shelton, who reached the Round of 16 after a win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
However, the tennis spotlight inadvertently reignited attention on her family situation once again, as she made another cold comment directed at Dennis’ desertion of his family.
On Instagram, Rodman addressed public confusion around her identity-many mistakenly referred to her as “Tiffany”-and, more significantly, used the moment to clarify her current standing with her father.
“For those who don’t know… my name is TRINITY not Tiffany,” Rodman wrote via the Stories feature. “Also, for Ben’s matches he has his family there as his support system, which includes his dad…
“My dad’s not even in MY life. No need to bring him up during HIS matches when I don’t even want him talked about during mine. It’s him and his loved ones’ moment. Thank you.”
Ben Shelton books blockbuster Wimbledon clash
Shelton, who has become one of the rising stars in American men’s tennis, is running deep into the 2025 Wimbledon Championships as he books his spot in the quarterfinals against Jannik Sinner on July 9.
Sinner reached the last eight after receiving a walkover against Grigor Dimitrov, despite trailing by two sets (3-6, 5-7) at the time. The Italian enters the match as a heavy favorite, having already won the Australian Open twice in 2024 and 2025 and the 2024 U.S. Open.
Should Shelton win, he could take on Novak Djokovic in the semifinals as the Serbian looks to defeat Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday. A victory there could set up a match in the final against the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz.
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