That’s Trinity Rodman.
Not “Tiffany Rodman” and, please, not “Dennis Rodman’s daughter.”
She is one of the NBA alum’s three children, but making a name for herself has been the goal ever since the soccer star—who was raised by her mom Michelle Moyer—was drafted at 18 by the Washington Spirit in 2021.
“Obviously he was an amazing athlete and I got those genes from him,” the 5-foot-8 forward told reporters at the time, “but I am just excited to be known as Trinity Rodman, and not Dennis Rodman’s daughter.”
She went on to be named 2021 National Women’s Soccer League Rookie of the Year and U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, as well as help the Washington, D.C.-based Spirit win their first-ever league championship, before making her debut with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2022 and playing in her first World Cup in 2023.
Add the gold medal she won at the 2024 Paris Olympics to that C.V. and it’s not difficult to understand why she was so annoyed when a Wimbledon commentator not only flubbed her first name but also brought up her dad’s career when noting her presence at the tournament in 2025.
Trinity was sitting with her boyfriend Ben Shelton‘s family, watching the tennis player’s fourth-round match on July 7, when BBC Sports’ Andrew Castle referred to her as “Tiffany” several times. He identified her as a member of the “U.S. football national team set-up,” before calling Dennis “one of the greatest sportsmen of all time.”
Andrew then went on for awhile about the retired basketball player. After the match, Trinity corrected him on her Instagram Story—“For those who don’t know… my name is TRINITY not Tiffany”—and explained why his comments hit so hard.
“For Ben’s matches he has his family there as his support system which includes his dad,” she wrote in a July 7 post. “My dads 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.”
BBC Sports said in a July 9 statement to The Sun, “Andrew apologizes for mispronouncing Trinity Rodman’s name during the Ben Shelton vs. Lorenzo Sonego match.”
As for the rest of the commentating, while Trinity has graciously fielded questions about her estranged dad for years, she has her reasons—beyond the fact that she’s earned her own spotlight—for wanting to set a few ground rules.
Here is what to know about Trinity and Dennis’ complicated relationship:
Who Are Trinity Rodman’s Parents?
Trinity Rodman was born May 20, 2002, to retired basketball star Dennis Rodman and Michelle Moyer, who also shared then-13-month-old son Dennis Rodman Jr. The couple wed on May 13, 2003, Dennis’ 42nd birthday. The five-time NBA champion had previously been married to Annie Bakes—the mother of his eldest daughter, Teyana Lima—for 82 days and to Carmen Electra for five months.
“We won’t live together,” Dennis told the Los Angeles Timesof his arrangement with his third wife, who lived about 2 miles away from him in Newport Beach, Calif. “I like it like that. She and the kids come over on weekends.”
Michelle filed for divorce in 2004 and, though she and Dennis reconciled enough to remained married until 2012, Trinity has said that she and D.J. were raised by their mother.
D.J. played basketball at Washington State University and Trinity was going to play soccer for the Cougars, as well, until her freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At 18 she opted to declare for the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League draft and was selected No. 2 by the Washington Spirit.
How Did Trinity Rodman Handle Being Asked About Dad Dennis Rodman?
While she didn’t exactly fly under the radar as a Rodman in high school, it wasn’t until Trinity went pro that her relationship with her father ended up in the spotlight alongside her soccer skills.
Trinity initially took the unavoidable link in stride, telling The Guardian in 2021, “He is my dad at end of the day and I don’t think it’s gonna go away, so I just answer the questions and then move on.”
Growing up the daughter of a famous athlete, “You could say it put a fire under me more than pulling me down,” she explained. “I was more in the mindset of, rather than saying, ‘Oh, this is annoying, I don’t even have a name,’ I was more like, ‘Oh, I’ll show these people I am an individual and I’m going to develop in soccer like he did in basketball,’ so I think I’m more driven because of it.”
Trinity Rodman Called Dennis Rodman a “Freak of Nature” on the Basketball Court
Even though Trinity wasn’t born yet when her dad was amassing rebounds during his Hall of Fame career, she had YouTube.
“I watched my dad play a lot more than people really know,” Trinity told the Los Angeles Timesin July 2023. “I mean, my brother lived watching my dad’s clips.”
And though she blazed her own trail on the pitch rather than followed in his footsteps on the court, she found plenty to learn from his game.
“It was timing, it was anticipation, it was body movement, it was positioning, it was everything,” she explained. “And I think he was so intelligent and I think people take that away. He was a freak of nature. He was an insane athlete, but at the end of the day, he, I think, was one of the smartest players at the time. He knew the game.”
As for Dennis’ infamous lifestyle, she added, “Even the days that he didn’t prepare the best for the games, when he was out partying—I mean, everybody knows that—he was there…His mentality was insane.”
Trinity Rodman Said She Knows Dennis Rodman Is Proud of Her
While Trinity got a shout-out from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal when she was introduced as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team before the Women’s World Cup in 2023, there was no public tribute from her dad.
But ahead of the tournament, Trinity said she’s “gotten closure with it all.”
“I know he’s proud of me, I truly do,” she told the LA Times of her father. “He has his own things to deal with but, at the end of the day, he’s communicated to me that he knows I was going to be here, and that’s all I need.”
Why Is Trinity Rodman Estranged From Dad Dennis Rodman?
While Trinity had gamely talked about her father for years, the Olympic gold medalist eventually shared that they didn’t really have much of a relationship.
“He’s not a dad,” she said on a December 2024 episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast. “Maybe by blood, but nothing else. Hearing his voice is painful.”
She and her brother D.J. had been “very generous” in their public comments about him, Trinity said, neither of them wanting to make him look bad, even though it hurt to sweep their issues under the rug.
All the while, Trinity continued, “I’ve tried to make it obvious that I don’t know how he’s feeling, and I don’t know where he is.”
Dennis helped her mom “money-wise” when she was a kid, Trinity said, but once Michelle divorced him, “it was like, ‘F–k you.’” (After the split in 2012, the exes were in and out of court over spousal and child support payments.)
While Michelle tried to make “every situation seem smoother than it actually was” to protect her and D.J., Trinity said, Dennis “partied all the time. We tried to live with him, but he’s having parties 24/7.”
“I think he’s an extremely selfish human being,” she added. “I think everything has always been about him.” At the same time, Trinity noted, her father had his own trauma and “never understood that people could actually just want to be around him and just want to make him happy.”
How Trinity Rodman Really Felt About Dennis Rodman Attending Her Washington Spirit Playoff Game
Dennis and Trinity shared a hug after he caught the Spirit’s Nov. 7, 2021, playoff win over the North Carolina Courage in Washington, D.C. She acknowledged at the time how “shocked, overwhelmed, happy, sad, everything” she felt when he showed up, explaining on Instagram, “My dad doesn’t play a big role in my life at all and most people don’t know that, we don’t see eye to eye on many things.”
“We don’t have the best relationship,” she added, “but at the end of the day he’s human I’m human… he’s my dad, and I’m his little girl that will never change.”
The team would go on to win their first league championship and Trinity was named NWSL Rookie of the Year.
But she didn’t see him for several years after that and Trinity said on Call Her Daddy that she was actually “so mad” that he was there.
“Going into my rookie year, going into a quarterfinal, I’m already s–tting my pants as it is,” she recalled. “I’m stressed, like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to win.’ I hear him go, ‘Let’s go, Rodman, let’s go, Trinity.’ I’m like, ‘oh my f–king gosh.’ Like, there’s no way this is happening right now. Mind you, I haven’t seen him or talked to him in months.”
Her father then told her they should get together while he was in D.C., but that didn’t happen. “Stupid me for thinking that was gonna be some type of new spark,” Trinity said. “That was me every single time.”
What Has Dennis Rodman Said About His Relationship With Daughter Trinity Rodman?
When he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, Dennis was celebrated for his skills on the court—but he highlighted where he was lacking in life. “I have one regret,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I wish I was a better father.”
He acknowledged his shortcomings as a parent again in 2019, admitting it was hard for him to stop playing defense, even around his family. “The only major demon I have right now is trying to convince myself that I’m a good dad,” he told ESPN. Asked what he was doing to be a good dad, he said, “For some reason, it’s very hard for me to break out of that cycle. I never had anyone to ever do that for me. I think sometimes, ‘Why am I doing it for somebody else?’”
“It’s hard for me to just gravitate to people,” he said, “even though inside I love them.”
He made another rare comment in response to Trinity’s Call Her Daddy interview.
“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 since-deleted Instagram post after the episode dropped. “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.”
“I’m always here and tell you all the time—rather it’s your voice or voicemail—how proud I am,” he continued. “I always had one wish and it was I wish my kids would call me and come see me. Hopefully one day I can get that…You see me calling, I’m still here.”
How Is Trinity Rodman’s Relationship With Her Mom Michelle Moyer?
“Having a dad like I do, no one asks about my mom because she’s obviously not an NBA star, but I just want people to know that my mom’s been my support system in everything in life and she’s my best friend and my rock,” Trinity told The Guardianin 2021. “I don’t think people know how close we are and, even though she wasn’t in the NBA, she has an extremely competitive and driven mindset, and she’s an extremely strong woman. She’s my role model.”
And while she knows her mom was only half of the biological equation, Michelle—who moved to D.C. with her when she joined the Spirit—did the lion’s share of the parenting.
“It’s crazy to see someone in yourself, someone that you don’t even talk to,” Trinity reflected on the March 2025 premiere of Prime Video’s For the Win NWSL. “Like, me and my mom will forever be close. She just does everything for me and she is my number one supporter through it all.”
Moreover, Trinity added, “Everyone thinks that I’m fast because of my dad and I correct people. I’m like, ‘No, my mom was the fast one.’ But my dad was athletic as hell.”
Ahead of her return to action with the national team in April 2025, Trinity shared who would be coming to watch her play in the USWNT’s first-ever match at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.
“I have a lot of friends and other extended family that will, for sure, come. So I have to scramble for some more tickets,” Rodman told the Times. “My priority is my sister, niece and nephew and my mom.”
Trinity Rodman Claps Back After Wimbledon Commentator Brings Up Dennis Rodman
Trinity’s presence during boyfriend Ben Shelton’s fourth-round match at Wimbledon in July 2025 became a hot topic—not least because a BBC Sports commentator called her “Tiffany” and then went on to sing her dad’s praises as one of the great rebounders of all time.
It was a digression that Trinity found disrespectful in more ways than one.
“For Ben’s matches he has his family there as his support system which includes his dad,” she wrote on her Instagram Story after the match. “My dads 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.”
