U.S. Women’s National Team star and forward for the Washington Spirit Trinity Rodman opened up in a long-awaited conversation concerning her and her brother’s difficult relationship with her father, NBA legend Dennis Rodman. She compared the bond between her brother DJ Rodman and her father as nearly the opposite of NBA star LeBron James and his son Bronny, who play together for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On the latest Call Her Daddy podcast, Trinity discussed her family dynamic and LeBron’s very public support for Bronny James: “You look at LeBron and Bronny, and it’s picture-perfect. My dad doesn’t realize he’s affected so much of our day-to-day, and the reason my brother gets hate in basketball is because of him.”

“Growing up, he treated my brother like —-,” she admitted. “He’d tell him, ‘You’re not good enough,’ or ask, ‘What are you doing with basketball? It destroyed DJ’s confidence.” DJ averaged 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds during his college career. He averaged 2.7 points and 3.2 boards in six games played with Washington’s NBA G League affiliate.

The 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year star shed light on the emotional complexity within her family, discussing her father’s struggles with alcohol abuse, his problematic parenting style, and the harsh differences in how he treats her versus her brother. “It’s something he’s talked about with me and my mom,” Trinity shared. “The lack of love he received from his parents or his dad, translates into how he loves other people.”

Despite her father’s flaws, Trinity confessed her father’s affection for her. “He loves me,” she said with confidence. “He calls me his little princess, and I can’t do anything wrong in his eyes,” she said. But that same love wasn’t displayed to DJ, who has pursued basketball like their father.

DJ played college ball for Washington State before transferring to USC for a fifth year of eligibility. He went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, played for the Clippers during the summer league, and was waived in the G League after two stints with the Capital City Go-Go.

LeBron James sits with his son Bronny during an NBA game

Trinity contrasted her brother’s relationship with Dennis Rodman to the tight-knit bond between LeBron and Bronny ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

Trinity said her father’s well-documented battles with alcohol influenced their family dynamic. Dennis Rodman is a five-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer, mostly known for his rebel persona displayed during his time with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls.

Dennis opened up about fatherhood and reacted to Trinity’s comments with an Instagram post on Thursday, one day after the podcast dropped. He posted several photos of himself and Trinity from her childhood and wrote, “Sorry I wasn’t the Dad you wanted me to be but either way I still tried and I still try and never will stop,” he wrote in a post.

“I will keep trying even when you’re being told as an adult not to respond to my phone calls. I will try even when it’s difficult and if it takes a long time.”