This is mainly for all the ladies who had been wondering what this Dennis Rodman hoopla is all about. I’m a basketball fan and even a Rodman fan, but I’m not that politically inclined, soooo when I saw the NBA star going off (once again) with some guy on CNN, I had to find out what was really going on.
Dennis Rodman was in North Korea with other former NBA players for a basketball game against the North Korean Senior National Team on the birthday of the country’s leader, the infamous Kim Jong Un.
The American team consisted of OG players Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Vin Baker, Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, and Charles D. Smith.
Kim Jong Un, an actual friend of Rodman’s, imprisoned Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary who was sentenced to 15 years hard labor.
Rodman, the controversial former NBA star elicited widespread condemnation Tuesday when he suggested in an exclusive interview with Chris Cuomo of CNN’s “New Day” that Bae had done something to deserve his 15-year sentence.
After Rodman apologized for his comments regarding Bae and for flipping out on Cuomo, he then said it was not his job to address concerns about the repressive state of Korea or lobby for the release of the detained U.S. citizen.
What was shocking, even for supporters of the American team to watch, was Rodman (on Wednesday) leading a singalong of “Happy Birthday” to the leader of North Korea, a man he calls a friend and a “very good guy,” but considered by many a brutal dictator who recently ordered the execution of his own uncle.
That same day, Bae’s family accused Rodman of “playing games” with Bae’s life. Relatives and U.S. officials have insisted Bae committed no crime.
In the end, North Korea won the game.
Fellow player Charles D. Smith later admitted that he felt the game may have been a mistake due to the Bae situation, but said he would continue to stand strong with his decision to play the game.
Click to see Very Detailed Photos of the Team’s Trip to Korea!
Journalicious! 