Watch CBS News

Malone And Rodman In WCW Event?


For Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman, the NBA Finals are just the undercard to their own main event.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Saturday Malone and Rodman will square off in a pay-per-view wrestling event in San Diego on July 12.

It'll be a tag-team match pitting Rodman and Hollywood Hulk Hogan against Malone and either Randy "The Macho Man" Savage or Malone's close personal friend, Diamond Dallas Page.

The contracts for the World Championship Wrestling event have already been signed, the Tribune reported. Rodman has previously appeared in wrestling matches, and sports superstars like Reggie White have also gone into the ring in the past.

Rodman made headlines last week when he appeared, cigar in hand, with Hogan for a WCW event at Auburn Hills, Mich., Monday, the day after Chicago's blowout victory in Game 3. Rodman was fined for missing practice.

Malone is a well-known wrestling aficionado. His mother, Shirley Turner, is also a great fan of the sport. The Mailman said last month that he wouldn't mind stepping into the ring when the WCW tour comes to Utah this summer.

No Pictures, Please

Some say Malone plays better when he's angry. If that's the case, the Jazz are looking good in Game 6.

Malone earned a technical foul Friday when he shoved Rodman after making a layup in the second quarter. The shove seemed fairly innocent by that pair's standards, and Malone vehemently argued with referee Joe Crawford.

He then proceeded to pick up steam, along with his familiar scowl. Malone scored 17 points in the third quarter and finished with 39. After the game, he conducted an abrupt, expletive-filled press conference carried live in Salt Lake City.

Saturday at the end of Utah's brief practice, Malone became angry again when a cameraman from a Chicago television station began to film while Malone was shooting.

Malone accused the cameraman of "trying to make a name for yourself" and then stalked out of practice without speaking to reporters.

What, No Golf?

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Chicago Saturday, and yet there was Michael Jordan, stuck inside without a golf club in sight.

Jordan, a golf nut, is usually one of the first players out the door after practice on nice days. Instead, he stuck around for a little one-on-one with Ron Harper, Dickey Simpkins, Scott Burrell and Randy Brown.

"I anticipated drinking so much champagne that I really didn't have a tee time," he said after Friday's 83-81 loss."I didn't really think about golf."

Besides, the Bulls had places to go. After a short practice, the players went home to pack for an afternoon flight to Utah, where Game 6 will be played Sunday at the Delta Center.

They don't want the pick

The Jazz apparently won't be taking the Orlando Magic's 13th pick in this month's NBA draft. Utah had the option to claim the pick as part of a trade that sent Felton Spencer to Orlando two years ago.

Vie president of basketball operations Scott Layden decided against taking the pick because of this year's relatively shallow draft pool and the uncertain lockout situation. The Jazz will automatically receive Orlando's first-round pick in next year's draft.

Thumbs Up!

Among the stars who turned out for Friday's game was movie critic Gene Siskel, who underwent brain surgery last month.

Siskel, who wore a Bulls baseball hat and looked a little thinner, was back in his courtside seat. Next to him was Jack Nicholson, a fixture in the front row for Los Angeles Lakers games.

"For months people have been asking me if Michael is coming back," Siskel told the Chicago Sun-Times. "And I say, 'Yes, he is.' And they say, 'How can you say that for sure?' And I say, 'Because it makes me feel good.'"

Also spotted in the crowd were NBA stars Grant Hill and Kevin Johnson; San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice; actress-director Penny Marshall, wearing her customary Rodman jersey; and motivational guru Tony Robbins.

Airballs

  • The Utah Jazz scored 53 points in the second half of Game 5, one shy of the 54 they scored in all of Game 3. Utah's total in Game 3 was the lowest for a team in a regular-season or playoff game since the introduction of the 24-second shot clock for the 1954-55 season.
  • Neither team has scored 30 points in a quarter during the finals. Utah's 29 points in the third quarter of Game 5 was the most so far.
  • The loss was the first at home in the NBA Finals for Chicago since June 18, 1993, when Phoenix won Game 5 in the last game at the old Chicago Stadium. Chicago had won eight straight at home in the finals.

    © 1998 SportsLine USA, Inc. All rights reserved

  • View CBS News In
    CBS News App Open
    Chrome Safari Continue
    Be the first to know
    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.