Update | Rodman leaves for basketball trip with diplomatic aims and ‘love’ for Kim Jong-un
Ex-Chicago Bulls star also says he is out to show that the reclusive socialist state is 'not that bad'
Dennis Rodman said on Monday that he wanted to show that North Korea was not that bad, as he took a team of former NBA players on a trip for an exhibition game on Kim Jong-un’s birthday.
The flamboyant Hall of Famer headed to the North Korean capital from Beijing with a squad of a dozen stars including Vin Baker, Kenny Anderson and Cliff Robinson in what Rodman called “basketball diplomacy”, although US officials have criticised his efforts.
I am not going to sit there and go, ‘Hey guy, you are doing the wrong thing.' He is my friend first … and I love him
Rodman also told reporters at Beijing airport that he would not raise concerns about repression in North Korea because leader Kim was his friend.
He hoped the match could “open the doors” to “talk about certain things”. “But I am not going to sit there and go, ‘Hey guy, you are doing the wrong thing.' That is not the right way to do it. He is my friend first … and I love him,” Rodman said, sprinkling his comments with expletives.
Rodman told reporters at Beijing airport that he hoped the match could “open the doors” to “talk about certain things”.
Watch: Rodman says he loves N. Korea's Kim Jong-Un