Annie Bakes: the verified story of Dennis Rodman’s first wife
Annie Bakes, born Anicka Bakes, is a former Ford model and the first wife of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. The couple started dating in 1987, had a daughter, Alexis, in 1988, and married in September 1992. The marriage lasted 82 days. In 1997 she published a memoir about the relationship, Worse Than He Says He Is, and has lived privately since.
One quick note, because it is a real search: Annie Bakes is not a baker. “Bakes” is her surname. If you are looking for a bakery or a baking account with a similar name, this is a different person.
Quick facts
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Name | Anicka “Annie” Bakes (published as Anicka Rodman) |
| Born | February 26, 1965 (widely reported) |
| Known for | First wife of Dennis Rodman, author of a 1997 memoir |
| Career | Model with Ford, cut short by a car accident |
| Relationship with Rodman | Dated from 1987, married September 1992, divorced after 82 days |
| Daughter | Alexis Rodman, born September 28, 1988 |
| Book | Worse Than He Says He Is (1997), also titled White Girls Don’t Bounce |
| TV credits | Herself in ESPN SportsCentury (2003) and Pawn Stars (2013) |
Her birthplace is often given as Allentown, Pennsylvania, but no reliable source confirms it, so it is left out of the table.
Who is Annie Bakes?
She is more of a public figure than most celebrity ex-spouses, and that is by her own choice. She wrote and narrated a book about her marriage, appeared in an ESPN documentary about Rodman, and turned up on Pawn Stars. Since then she has stepped back from public life.
Her story has three chapters:
- A modeling career that ended early
- A seven-year relationship with one of the NBA’s most famous personalities
- The memoir she wrote about it
Her modeling career
According to the publisher’s description of her memoir, Bakes was earning a living as a model by around age 20, working in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and New York. Book listings describe her as a former Ford model.
That career ended after a serious car accident. The memoir describes the crash as a tragedy that ended her modeling work, and it happened during her years with Rodman. Some biography sites date it to 1987, which fits the timeline, but the exact date is not confirmed by a primary source.
Annie Bakes and Dennis Rodman
Bakes met Rodman in 1987, early in his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons. He was not yet the tattooed, hair-dyeing celebrity he became in the mid-1990s.
Their relationship timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Bakes and Rodman begin dating |
| 1988 | Daughter Alexis is born on September 28 |
| 1989 | People magazine reports the couple had briefly split |
| September 1992 | They marry |
| Late 1992 | The marriage ends after 82 days |
| 1993 | Rodman is traded from Detroit to the San Antonio Spurs |
| 1996 | Rodman publishes his memoir, Bad as I Wanna Be |
| 1997 | Bakes publishes her memoir, Worse Than He Says He Is |
The relationship was on and off for years before the wedding. By the time they married, Rodman was a two-time NBA champion with the Pistons and one of the league’s best rebounders.
Why the marriage ended so quickly
Neither side has offered a simple explanation. In her book, Bakes describes the relationship as volatile, with serious private fights and some public ones. Rodman gave his own account of the same years in Bad as I Wanna Be.
In an interview quoted in later profiles, Bakes said she had pushed Rodman to try marriage counseling. She said he went to a couple of sessions and then quit, and that he did not believe he had a problem.
Her book: Worse Than He Says He Is
The memoir is the most solid public record of her own point of view. It was published in May 1997 by Dove Books and ran 256 pages. She also narrated an abridged audiobook version.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full title | Worse Than He Says He Is: Or White Girls Don’t Bounce: My Walk on the Wild Side With Dennis Rodman |
| Author name | Anicka Rodman |
| Published | May 1997 |
| Publisher | Dove Books |
| Length | 256 pages |
| Audiobook | Abridged, narrated by the author |
The title is a direct reply to Rodman’s bestseller Bad as I Wanna Be, released the year before. According to the publisher’s description, the book portrays Rodman as immature, manipulative, dishonest, and abusive toward her and their daughter. Those are her allegations. Rodman’s own memoir tells a very different story.
Reader reviews tend to treat the two books as a pair. Several readers say they picked up her book after his to hear the other side.
One book, not two
Many biography sites list Worse Than He Says He Is and White Girls Don’t Bounce as two separate books. Others say one was “later retitled” as the other, and they disagree on which came first. Book catalog records show both titles belong to the same 1997 book. White Girls Don’t Bounce is part of the full title.
Her daughter, Alexis Rodman
Alexis Caitlyn Rodman was born on September 28, 1988. She is Dennis Rodman’s oldest child and his only child with Bakes.
Rodman’s relationship with his daughter has been distant for long stretches. He became visibly emotional talking about Alexis, then eight, during a 1996 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In a 2013 interview for Oprah: Where Are They Now?, he said he had just seen her for the first time in years.
Alexis is now an adult. This page does not cover her personal life.
Dennis Rodman’s marriages and children
Many people searching for her are trying to understand the wider Rodman family.
| Spouse | Married | Ended | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Bakes | 1992 | 1992 (82 days) | Alexis (born 1988) |
| Carmen Electra | 1998 | 1999 | None |
| Michelle Moyer | 2003 | Divorced | D.J. and Trinity |
Trinity Rodman, his youngest child, is a forward for the U.S. women’s national soccer team. D.J. Rodman played college basketball. Alexis is the oldest of the three.
Annie Bakes facts vs claims
Biography pages about her mix sourced facts with unsourced guesses. Here is how the most repeated claims hold up.
| Claim | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Married Rodman in September 1992 | Supported | Reported by People |
| Marriage lasted 82 days | Supported | Reported by People and repeated widely |
| Divorced in 1993 | Unclear | Some sources say the divorce was finalized in 1993, others say 1992 |
| Daughter Alexis born September 28, 1988 | Supported | Reported by People |
| Former Ford model | Supported | Stated in her book’s publisher description |
| Modeling career ended by a car accident | Supported | Described in her book |
| Born February 26, 1965 | Widely reported | No primary source found |
| Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania | Unconfirmed | Repeated without a source |
| Wrote two separate books | False | One 1997 book with both titles |
| Alexis born in 1991 | False | People reports 1988 |
| Married in 1991 | False | The wedding was in September 1992 |
| Height, weight, religion, net worth | Unsupported | Template filler that varies from site to site |
What we left out
Some biography sites repeat graphic personal allegations and attribute them to Bakes without citing her book or any interview. Others list her current city, workplace, or marriage. None of it has a reliable source, and much of it concerns her private life today. This page sticks to her documented career, her book, and the public record of the marriage.
Where is Annie Bakes now?
Bakes has kept a low profile since the late 1990s. Her last known screen appearance was a 2013 episode of Pawn Stars. She does not give interviews, and there is no confirmed public account in her name.
For her own account of her life, the 1997 memoir remains the best source. Used copies and the audiobook are still in circulation.
The bottom line
Her public story is short but well documented. She was a working model whose career ended in a car accident. She spent seven turbulent years with Dennis Rodman, married him for 82 days, and raised their daughter. Then she wrote a book telling her side, which remains a counterpoint to his memoir.
If you are researching her, start with that book and the People reporting on the Rodman family. Treat pages that list her weight, net worth, or current address without a source as guesswork.
Sources
- IMDb – Annie Bakes – biography and screen credits
- Wikipedia – Dennis Rodman – marriages, children and career details
- People – reporting on the Rodman family and the marriage
- Worse Than He Says He Is by Anicka Rodman (Dove Books, 1997), including the publisher’s description
- Bad as I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman (1996)
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (1996) and Oprah: Where Are They Now? (2013)
JacksonPadilla is a writer at Around Celebrities, covering celebrity families, relationships, biographies, and the stories behind the stars. With a focus on clear and engaging storytelling, JacksonPadilla helps readers discover the people and connections beyond the spotlight.
