Dennis Rodman and Alonzo Mourning Squash Their 30-Year Beef

After 30 years of feuding, NBA legends Dennis Rodman and Alonzo Mourning have officially squashed their beef.

​What began as physical battles between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat in the high-stakes playoff wars during the 1990s has finally given way to mutual respect. Time, it turns out, really does heal all wounds—even for two of the game’s toughest competitors.

​The feud came to an end when Chris Webber (who dubbed the moment a “Power Forward Summit”) shared footage of Rodman and Mourning shaking hands for the first time in 30 years as they reconnected alongside Kevin Garnett during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts.

​“Power Forward Summit,” Webber’s caption read. “What’s Beef? Zo and Dennis haven’t shook hands in almost 30 years.”

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​In the background of the clip, Kevin Garnett can be heard telling Rodman and Mourning, “Bury that s***, man.”

​The genesis of the beef between Rodman and  Mourning was born out of the intense, highly physical style of play that defined the rivalry between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s.

​Rodman, a master psychological pest, loved engaging in mind games on the court. While Mourning, more stoic in his demeanor, was the polar opposite.

​To throw Mourning off his game, Rodman would try anything. On one occasion, he even flirted with Mourning at the free-throw line—to provoke the intense, fiery Heat center to lose his focus.

According to John Salley, who played with Rodman on the Bulls, the eccentric power forward complimented Mourning’s calves.

“‘Look at his calves. Got great calves. Look at his calves. Calves are great. How’d you get calves like that?’” Salley shared, “Alonzo was like, ‘Y’all are sick.”

The animosity between the two enforcers peaked during Game 4 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals. When a battle ensued for a rebound, and Rodman and Mourning fought for position, their entanglement escalated into an outright wrestling match under the basket. Mourning put Rodman in a headlock, sending both men tumbling into the photographers’ row in a chaotic heap of limbs and double technicals.

​Following the game, Rodman did not hold back as he expressed his utter dislike of the Heat center.

​”It doesn’t matter what Zo does… I told him he’s a $17 million punk,” Rodman told The New York Times.

​While Rodman and Mourning had intense duels, the games were one-sided. The Bulls swept the Heat in the 1996 first round and won the conference finals series 4-1 the following year.

For nearly three decades, their mutual disdain lingered as both men held onto their grudge. Now, Rodman, 65, and Mourning, 56, have shown the world that they’ve moved past their days of being gladiators on the NBA court.

​For basketball fans, seeing two of the 1990s’ fiercest competitors share a laugh and a handshake in Springfield was a poignant moment that finally closed the chapter on one of basketball’s most iconic feuds.