An imperious command from Madonna is hard to ignore. So when she summoned basketball star Dennis Rodman to help her have a baby, he was quick to oblige.

The fact that he was at a Las Vegas gaming table and she was in New York was only a minor detail.

Rodman dated the singer in 1996, when she was at the height of her fame and he was part of the legendary Chicago Bulls team dominating the NBA.

'Madonna wanted to have my babies,' Rodman, 44, writes in his autobiography I Should Be Dead By Now.

'Here's how far it went. One time I was in Las Vegas at the craps table doing my thing when I got this frantic call. It was like the "somebody died call" from New York.

' I picked up the phone and Madonna was like, "I'm ovulating, I'm ovulating. Get your ass up here".

'So I left my chips on the table, flew five hours to New York and did my thing. 'We got done and she was standing on her head in an attempt to promote conception - just like any girl trying to get pregnant. I flew back to Las Vegas and picked up my game where I left off.'

Rodman has previously revealed that when he first met Madonna he went to her hotel room where she locked the door and told him: 'I am not letting you out.'

The basketballer admitted he was not a fan of Madonna's music, which he thought was 'too bubblegum', and was less than impressed with her videos or public image.

'And I didn't know what the hell this white megastar wanted from me,' he said. 'Turned out Madonna was a cool individual. She had her s*** together. And she wasn't just in it for stud services. She wanted to get married - at least I think she did.'

Madonna, now 46, failed to conceive with Rodman and their affair floundered after a few months.

She had a baby daughter, Lourdes, two years later with her personal trainer Carlos Leon.

She has also since had a son, Rocco, with her British producer husband Guy Ritchie.

Rodman has been married to former model Michelle Moyer for three years and they have two children.