Dennis Rodman Marries TV Actress Carmen Electra

Jet, Dec 7, 1998

Many Americans thought it was just another Dennis Rodman publicity stunt.

They felt that the Chicago Bulls superstar was once again trying to shock the public and grab some media attention.

But Rodman recently confirmed that he has married ex-"Baywatch" TV star Carmen Electra.

"I love Carmen and am proud to be married to her," Rodman said in a handwritten, two-sentence press statement issued through his new wife's publicist.

The two exchanged wedding vows in Las Vegas at The Little Chapel of Flowers.

Rodman's agent questioned whether the marriage was legal, saying Rodman was drunk at the time.

"Obviously anyone that would marry somebody that was intoxicated to the point that they couldn't speak or stand had ulterior motives of some sort," Rodman's agent, Dwight Manley, told the Associated Press.

Manley felt Rodman, 37, was taken advantage of by Electra and people he called "leeches."

But Rodman said he was indeed in love and said in the press statement: "I apologize for any false statements given on my behalf regarding my marriage to Carmen Electra."

Rodman maintains it was love and not liquor that inspired him to tie the knot with the sexy actress.

And those who saw the couple when they applied for the marriage license and got married agree the hoopster was not intoxicated.

Cheryl Vernon, supervisor of the Clark County (Nevada) Marriage License Bureau, told the New York Post, "We don't issue a license if they're intoxicated, no matter who they are."

Barbara Taylor, the manager of the wedding chapel, also stands by Rodman, saying he was not drunk during the ceremony. She told the New York Post Rodman "was not inebriated. He was not intoxicated. He's said so himself, and you should take his word for it."

Taylor told the New York Post that the couple was very discreet and refused to fill out forms asking for their telephone numbers.

They married sometime before 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, the Post, reported.

They bought the basic $185 wedding package, which includes a simple service and a boutonniere for the groom, the Post said.

Electra wore a dark pants suit and a black leather jacket, and Rodman wore a baseball cap and a khaki shirt, the Post said.

The newlyweds did not go on a honeymoon, the newspaper said.

Rodman and Electra, 26, have been dating since the spring.

This is Rodman's second marriage. He married model Annie Banks in 1993, during the time he played with the Detroit Pistons. That marriage reportedly only lasted three months, but the couple had a daughter, Alexis.

Electra, whose real name is Tara Patrick, starred on TV's hit show "Baywatch" but recently switched to "Hyperion Bay" on the WB network.

The sexy performer started her show business career as a singer on The Artist Formerly Known as Prince's Paisley Park Records label.

The 5-foot-4 buxom beauty bared it all for Playboy in its March 1996 issue and also starred in the video, Playboy Cheerleaders.

She later hosted the popular MTV dating show, "Singled Out."

When asked several months ago what she likes about her then-boyfriend Rodman, Electra revealed, "He has a nice butt," the New York Post recently reported.

In the past, Rodman has been romantically linked to superstar singer-actress Madonna and erotic dancer Stacey Yarborough.

Two years ago, the outrageous bad boy of basketball took the public and the media on a wild ride when he announced he was going to get married.

Little did the world know, but Rodman was not going to get married to anyone.

The 6-foot-8, 210-pound basketball star showed up in New York City in a horse-drawn carriage with four tuxedo-clad women, wearing a lacy, white wedding gown with long white gloves, red lipstick and a blond wig.

It wasn't a wedding. He was there to promote his just-released book, Bad As I Wanna Be, which immediately became a national best-seller.

The book's phenomenal success proved that Rodman's appeal goes far beyond basketball and helped him to win a starring role opposite Jean Claude Van Damme in the hit movie, Double Team.

But while the outspoken, flamboyant basketball star has fooled his fans in the past, this time America's favorite bad boy says he's really in love and happily married.