Trinity Rodman got her Olympic career started with a bang.
The daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman made her Olympics debut on July 25, scoring the opening goal for the U.S. women’s national team in a win over Zambia. Even before her trip to the Paris Olympics at age 22, Rodman already established a record-setting soccer career and made a name for herself beyond the shadow of her Hall of Fame father.
Jaw-Dropping Goal Goes Viral
Rodman’s goal on Thursday came in the 17th minute after she took a pass from Lindsey Horan and spun around to blast a shot past the Zambian goalkeeper. Rodman said her instincts took over when she received the pass.
“That was just an instinctual thing because I haven’t really trained that,” Rodman said, via ESPN. “But it worked out perfectly.
“I think in that situation I knew that if I took a touch in front of me, it probably would’ve put me out of the frame of the goal,” she added. “I was trying to just put her off balance, which worked, so I’m happy about that.”
Rodman’s stop-and-spin goal drew some huge reactions online, with clips of the score going viral on social media. CBS Sports host Hailey Sutton said the goal made her jaw drop.
“the audible gasp I just let out in the studio,” wrote Unreal finish!!!
Trinity Rodman’s Trailblazing Career
Rodman has already made history in her soccer career. In 2021, the 18-year-old Rodman became the youngest player drafted in the history of the National Women’s Soccer League, being taken No. 2 overall by the Washington Spirit.
Rodman was originally set to play collegiate soccer at Washington State, but when the pandemic led to the cancellation of the season, she opted to go pro instead.
“I’m at a point right now where I could be at that level to get even better than I would be in college, so I was just kind of like, ‘Let’s just go, I want to get better. Let’s go.’ ” Rodman told goal.com at the time.
“Obviously this has been my dream forever. Honestly a lot of people can say it’s not the right time, but right now I think it’s a perfect time to get in there and learn and become a better player,” she said.
Rodman said at the time she wanted to pave her own way in professional sports, moving outside the shadow of her famous father. Rodman added that while her mother didn’t garner the same level of attention as her dad, it was her support that helped Trinity blossom into one of the sport’s top players.
“Having a dad like I do, no one asks about my mom because she’s obviously not an NBA star, but I just want people to know that my mom’s been my support system in everything in life and she’s my best friend and my rock,” Rodman told The Guardian.
“I don’t think people know how close we are and, even though she wasn’t in the NBA, she has an extremely competitive and driven mindset, and she’s an extremely strong woman.”
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