Happily crushed

Deepa Bharath

The Worm is back.

But this time, former NBA superstar and former West Newport

resident Dennis Rodman says he’s sober, serious and sincere about

playing basketball and worming his way back into the big league,

where he says he belongs.

During a news conference on Tuesday at the Atrium Hotel in Irvine,

Rodman announced his decision to play for the Orange County Crush, a

new American Basketball Assn. team based at the Orange County

Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The team will make its debut on Sunday

against the Long Beach Jam in Long Beach, and play its home games in

a tent on the Speedway track at the fairgrounds.

His comeback isn’t about promoting his image or persona, said the

ace rebounder, who showed up to the conference with blond hair,

sweatpants and a white T-shirt with “Tell only your best friends”

printed on the back.

“A lot of people are speculating that I’m doing this to put the

Dennis Rodman Show on the map,” he said. “I’m not a selfish guy. I’m

the most unselfish guy you’ll ever meet.”

More importantly, he wants to finish his career the way all-time

great athletes have, Rodman said. He talked about Kareem

Abdul-Jabaar, who played into his 40s.

“At 43 years, I’m in very good condition,” he said. “I’m 110%

fit.”

Crush Coach Earl Cureton -- who coached the Long Beach Jam, which

Rodman played on for three games last year -- said he believes Rodman

is in good shape.

“We’re fortunate to have Dennis Rodman with us,” he said. “But we

don’t want him to stay here. We want him to get back in the NBA,

where he belongs.”

Rodman will also serve as a mentor and as a second coach to his

younger, less-experienced team members, Cureton said.

“[Rodman] brings a lot to the table,” he said. “I see a guy that

gave his heart and soul to basketball. Ever since I’ve known him,

he’s worked his [tail] off. I’m happy to have him, period.”

Rodman said his comeback will be a good way to give back to Orange

County, which has been his home for the last eight years. He moved

out of his Seashore Drive home and moved a few miles north to

Huntington Beach in September.

“A lot of people haven’t seen me play,” he said. “It’s not all

about the money for me. It’s not like I think I’m King Rodman or

anything. It’ll be nice to let the kids see a great player in

action.”

Over the last year or so, Rodman has been working hard on putting

his life back together, Rodman said.

“I’ve put my life back in perspective,” he said. “I made the wrong

decision in Vegas, partied a little too hard.”

Rodman was referring to an incident in February, when he popped

wheelies on a borrowed motorcycle outside a Las Vegas strip club and

ended up crashing into a pole. He suffered minor injuries and was not

arrested, but was issued a misdemeanor citation and charged with

drunken driving, reckless driving and obstruction of justice.

“I’ve been sober now for many months; I’ve stopped drinking,” he

said. “My kids are happy to see me now.”

Rodman, who won five NBA championships in his career with the

Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls, left the league in March 2000,

when he was released by the Dallas Mavericks after less than a month

with the team.

Having a transformed Rodman on its side gives credibility to the

Orange County Crush as a team, said team general manager Kevin

Copeland.

“It legitimizes what we’ve put together,” he said. “It’s great

that he believes that this is a platform for him to get back into the

NBA.”

Team members said they are thrilled to have Rodman as a teammate.

“He’s a great addition to the team,” said Cordell Henry, a rookie

from Chicago. “He brings a lot of experience with him. I’ll just be

soaking up and listening to every word that comes out of his mouth

and take whatever he has to offer to me.”

Rodman will be a positive influence for the team, said Ruben

Smith, member of the Orange County Fair Board.

“Any time you have Dennis Rodman, it attracts attention,” he said.

“But it’ll be a great draw. The team itself is going to be a

tremendous asset to the community.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or by e-mail at

deepa.bharath@latimes.com.