Dennis Rodman Is Coming for Travis Scott After Accusing the Contentious Rapper of Stealing His Nike Shoe Design
Dennis Rodman and Travis Scott have several things in common. Both men came from humble backgrounds and both rose to fame as pop culture icons in their time. Both Rodman and Scott are also savvy businessmen — but that’s where the line has been drawn, at least in Rodman’s estimation. The NBA pro recently came after the embattled rapper, accusing him of “stealing” his Nike shoe design. While Scott hasn’t responded publicly to Rodman’s diss, the controversy isn’t Scott’s first.
Dennis Rodman is a retired NBA pro and businessman
Rodman rose to fame in the late ’80s as a basketball player with the Detroit Pistons. Over the course of his NBA career, Rodman played with several teams, including the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks. He won multiple awards during his time with the NBA, including five NBA championships. In the ’90s, Rodman became known as a pop culture “bad boy,” cultivating a rebellious image and often stepping out with beautiful women, including the model and actor Carmen Electra.
Behind the piercings and antics, Rodman is a bright businessman, with a hand in several high-profile product releases. Notably, Rodman reportedly became involved with Nike well before the shoe company became such a beloved worldwide brand — and it is his history with Nike that has Rodman taking aim at Scott.
Dennis Rodman recently slammed Travis Scott for his Nike shoe release
Scott recently collaborated with Nike for a hugely successful shoe release, with his 2019 AJ1 Retro High OG sneakers making waves with fans. Scott’s lines are known for the reverse Nike “swoosh,” according to TMZ. And that’s exactly why Rodman has a problem with the rapper. Rodman recently spoke out against Scott, claiming that he helped originate the reverse swoosh with the 1994 Nike Air Darwin release.
According to the Atlanta Black Star, a video recently circulated online that featured Rodman calling Scott out directly: “Travis Scott has copied my shoe. I was the first guy to do mines backwards when I was playing with Chicago Bulls. Come on, Travis, give me some credit, you know. You copied my s—t. You copied my s—t, all right. So this ain’t new; this ain’t new, brother. Either way, congratulations.” In the video, Rodman held up Scott’s 2019 release, making it clear exactly whom he was addressing.
Travis Scott has often been the subject of controversy
Scott hasn’t responded to Rodman publicly, but the rapper probably has other things on his mind. Although he rose to fame as a talented rapper and iconic pop culture personality, well-known for his relationship with Kylie Jenner, Scott has also developed a reputation for being involved with controversy. Most notably, there have been crowd safety issues at several of Scott’s concerts. His 2021 Astroworld show in Houston, Texas, resulted in a mass-casualty crowd crush that caused 10 deaths and many more injuries.
The Astroworld disaster caused many people to slam Scott, with many calling for his complete cancellation. Although Scott did lie low in the weeks following the disaster, and lost several gigs at various festivals and concerts, he also claimed that he wasn’t to blame for the deaths.
Eventually, he started stepping out again, and although he hasn’t fronted any more major music festivals since Astroworld, he’s still a top-selling artist. Ultimately, it seems as though Scott has a knack for bouncing back, and it isn’t likely that Rodman’s comments will cause him to lose any sleep.
