Flamboyant
former NBA star Dennis Rodman is expected to arrive in Pyongyang
Tuesday, US media reported, with the heavily-tattooed former player
apparently set for another round of his controversial “basketball
diplomacy”.
The eccentric ex-Chicago Bulls power forward made at least four
visits to Pyongyang, most recently in 2014 when he attracted a deluge of
criticism after being filmed singing happy birthday to his “friend for
life” North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The 56-year-old was spotted at Beijing International Airport Tuesday
but declined to answer questions, CNN said, adding that two officials in
North Korea confirmed Rodman was expected to arrive in Pyongyang later
that day.
“He is going as a private citizen,” a senior Trump administration official told Fox News.
The player known as “The Worm”, is one of the few Westerners to have
met Kim, who took over following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il.
It is not clear whether Rodman, who once dated Madonna and was
married to model and actress Carmen Electra, will be meeting with Kim
Jong Un during the trip, or what the exact purpose of the visit is.
He has previously described his trips — including one in 2013 with
the Harlem Globetrotters — as “basketball diplomacy” but has been
roundly criticised for failing to raise human rights issues or the
plight of US missionary Kenneth Bae, who was detained at the time.
Rodman, who is known as much for his piercings, ever-changing hair
colours and off-court antics as his court skills, has developed an
unlikely relationship with the North Korean leader since making his
first trip there in 2013.
The bombastic player — who once wore a wedding dress to promote one
of his books — also knows US President Donald Trump, having appeared as a
contestant on Trump’s pre-presidency reality television show “Celebrity
Apprentice”.
Trump called Rodman “smart” for his 2013 trip to North Korea, NK News reported.
“It’s not an act. But he’s a much different guy and this year on the
Apprentice — it’s amazing how sharp and smart. Dennis is not a stupid
guy. He’s smart in many ways; he’s very street-wise,” Trump said in
comments republished by Politico at the time.
The young Kim, who was educated in Switzerland, is reported to be a
keen basketball fan and especially of the Chicago Bulls, for whom Rodman
played a key role in winning three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan
in the 1990s.
The trip comes amid high tensions between Washington and Pyongyang —
which is currently detaining four Americans — following a string of
weapons tests by the North, which have prompted successive rounds of
sanctions and caused the US to step up its own muscle-flexing in the
region.
Rodman routinely distances himself from political events in the country.
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