Trinity Rodman, the daughter of NBA Hall of Fame basketball player Dennis Rodman, scored in her professional soccer debut in the Washington Spirit’s 3-2 loss to the North Carolina Courage in a National Women’s Soccer League match.
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Kumi Yokoyama gave the Spirit an early lead before Kristen Hamilton leveled things in the 10th minute. Jessica McDonald gave North Carolina the lead in the 28th minute with Merritt Mathias giving the Courage an additional goal after halftime.
Rodman, 18, then came on for Yokoyama and immediately made an impact by latching onto a long ball pass from Ashley Sanchez in the 60th minute for a goal.
💥 @trinity_rodman is here, and she is not. messing. around. pic.twitter.com/OY6i28k3ct
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 10, 2021
Rodman was drafted by Washington as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL draft. She was a finalist for U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Player of the Year, and excelled for the U.S. U20 national team, scoring eight goals and adding six assists at the 2020 CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championship last March. Rodman enrolled at Washington State but was never able to suit up for the Cougars after the 2020 collegiate season was postponed until this spring.
She has previously spoke about her relationship with her father, a five-time NBA champion.
“I think the hardest thing is just to always be compared and to be expected to be this legend like he was,” Rodman told ESPN in January. “Moving forward, it’s going to be nice not to separate ourselves, but be able to distinguish that yes, he was a successful NBA player, but I am going to be a successful NWSL player.”
