Trinity Rodman, the daughter of five-time NBA champion and Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, is as adept at soccer as her world-famous dad was at rebounding.
20-year-old Trinity Rodman, Dennis Rodman's daughter, has been drafted by @WashSpirit with the 2nd pick in the 2021 @NWSL Draft 🔥 pic.twitter.com/p7kAfh3Wn6
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 14, 2021
Rodman played great in her inaugural season with the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League and then was awarded a three-year extension worth a league-record $1.1 million. It’s a deal that will make WNBA players with max deals that don’t exceed $250K very jealous. The deal, $281,000 per season, is seven times more per season than her rookie season contract of $42,000.
In a league where the base salary is $75,000 for next season, Rodman is set to make almost four times that. Star players in the league receive allocated funds provided by the league due to the exposure and visibility they bring being a part of the league.
Trinity Rodman becomes the highest-paid player in NWSL history 👏 @HighlightHER
The 19-year old has signed a four-year, $1.1M guaranteed contract with the Washington Spirit pic.twitter.com/4OxahgH8Te
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2022
Rodman Picks Up Accolades, Wins Championship As Rookie
After being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2021 NWSL draft by the Spirit, the talented 19-year-old was nothing short of sensational as a rookie. She accounted for seven goals and seven assists, but it’s her high IQ and understanding of the game that really stands out. The Spirit won the NSWL championship despite a tumultuous season which saw the removal of head coach Richie Burke after an investigation proved he created a hostile work environment by verbally and emotionally abusing his players. Majority owner Steve Baldwin was forced to sell his stake for allowing Burke to operate in such a manner.
NWSL Rookie of the Year ✅
U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year ✅@trinity_rodman is the future 🇺🇸🙌 pic.twitter.com/dqFnHlan6V— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 17, 2021
Dennis Rodman On Daddy Duties: It’s Never Too Late
The former Bulls, Lakers and Spurs star admitted at his Hall of Fame speech that he hasn’t always been the best father, but he’s been developing a tighter bond with Trinity. They share the superstar sports gene as both are all-time great players in their respective sports.
Trinity has some time to go before she reaches Hall of Fame status, but her skills are undeniable, and she’s on the fast track to becoming one of the major faces of women’s sports.
Trinity’s Dad hadn’t seen her play much in person and had not at all since she became a pro, but he showed up for a playoff game back in November, and they shared an embrace.
The relationship between father and daughter is a bit tenuous. Trinity said they’ve gone long stretches with little to no communication at all. But she was happy to see her pops show up for the Spirit’s 1-0 playoff win over the North Carolina Courage.
Rodman’s agent Mike Senkowski talked to Sportico about his client’s record deal.
“The way she performed in his first year allowed us to go to the club and push to get a new deal done. And credit the team. They understood it. They agreed they have a generational talent and they wanted to reward that.
“How many teenagers, in any sport, come into the league in year one and rip up their rookie deals after doing all the things she did from an athletic standpoint and become the highest paid player in the league? Nobody could script that.”
Trinity Rodman explained to Sportico what the deal and tumultuous season meant to her.
“What our team has been through was insane and what the league’s been through has been crazy, but my team in D.C. has been amazing. The growth that I’ve had here — I don’t even know the words to describe it. I’m just grateful for what I’ve learned and the people I’ve been around throughout the season. The league is growing every single day, and the players are the biggest part of that. We’ve worked so hard, and we deserve the world. And I hope this deal shows it.”
Rodman knows this deal is rare, as she makes more than USWNT stalwarts Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, but she’s also looking to rake in the dough off the field as well. Currently boasting an endorsement deal with Adidas, the star striker has lofty goals to make it so that the entire league is receiving quality pay.
Rookie of the Year, and she's only just getting started 👀 @trinity_rodman#ImpossibleIsNothing pic.twitter.com/UbM84BmYZh
— adidas (@adidas) November 18, 2021
Women’s National Soccer Team
Trinity Rodman’s soccer prowess is impossible to ignore. The young phenom was added to the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s roster this month, clearing the path for her to participate in the next Olympics and Women’s World Cup.
Initially, she was invited to the seventh annual SheBelieves Cup as a practice player, but she was added Monday to the full squad after defender Abby Dahlkemper withdrew with a back injury.
Rodman is the youngest of 23 players who will report to training camp Thursday in San Diego ahead of matches against the Czech Republic on Feb. 17 and New Zealand on Feb. 20 in Carson, California, and Iceland on Feb. 23 in Frisco, Texas.
According to MSN, the former youth national team star participated in a U.S. senior camp for the first time last month in Austin, Texas. In trimming the roster for the SheBelieves Cup squad, coach Vlatko Andonovski said Rodman “looks really good in the league, but the national team is a different animal.”
Rodman is on a trajectory to greatness. Her fiery attitude is reminiscent of her dad’s grit, and her elite athleticism comes from the family genes too. She’s going to move to the forefront of American women’s soccer as Team USA searches for new leaders with many of the veterans retired or soon to be.
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