Former NBA Star Dennis Rodman To Train North Korean Basketball Team In Pyongyang
Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un's budding bromance continues to grow as the former NBA basketball star organises a special basketball match for the North Korean leader's birthday.
By Mei Mei Chu — 18 Dec 2013, 06:53 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Dennis Roadman's Bromance With North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Has Reached New Heights
Dennis Roadman's Bromance With North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Has Reached New Heights
Image via vancouversun.comThe Former Basketball Star Is Reportedly Travelling To North Korea For The Third Time To Train Its National Basketball Team
Dennis Rodman is headed back to North Korea to help train its Olympic basketball team for an invitational game to be staged in Pyongyang early next year, in spite of the political drama currently unfolding the isolated nation.
Eccentric former Chicago Bulls star Rodman is making his third trip this year to North Korea from Thursday to train its basketball team, sponsors revealed last week.
iol.co.za
He Will Be Training The Team To Play Against An "NBA All-Stars Team" At An Exhibition Game To Commemorate Kim's 31st Birthday
He Will Be Training The Team To Play Against An "NBA All-Stars Team" At An Exhibition Game To Commemorate Kim's 31st Birthday
Image via klimg.comRodman said that in addition to working with North Korea's basketball team, he has planned an exhibition game between that team and a group of former professional players, whose names have yet to be revealed, in January to celebrate Kim's birthday.
Dennis Rodman Confirms The News And Says He Will Be Bringing American Players To The Communist Country
Rodman's trip has been long-planned and apparently won't be derailed by last week's execution of Jang Song Thaek, who was married to Kim's biological aunt and considered to be second in command behind his nephew.
"Yes, I'm going to North Korea to train the basketball team. I'm going to bring American players over there. Yes I am. I'm going to be the most famous person in the world when you see American people holding hands and hoping the doors can be opened. If they can. If they can. If they can. I'm going. I'm going back for his birthday. Special."
usatoday.com
The "Basketball Diplomacy Mission" Is Sponsored By Irish Online Betting Company Paddy Power
The Guardian is reporting that Paddy Power also has come under fire for sponsoring the game, despite claiming it does not “endorse or support” the North Korean regime.
Sponsors Paddy Power said the December 19-23 training sessions and match had not been affected by the turbulent political events in North Korea, where Kim's uncle and former mentor Jang Song-thaek was recently executed in a surprise move.
iol.co.za
The "Basketball Diplomacy Mission" Is Sponsored By Irish Online Betting Company Paddy Power
Image via gamingandleisurenews.comKoryo Tours, A Beijing Tour Company, Is Organising An Exclusive 4-Day Tour For 12 Tourists To Catch The Game
The site also promises an all-star lineup of NBA legends, and says Rodman will release the roster in the near future. The five-day travel package is listed for a price of 6,500 Euros.
mashable.com
In an email invitation, Koryo described the four-day trip as a mixture of its usual tourist packages with "genuine once-in-a-lifetime” experiences. The NBA "legends" will be flying in on the same flights as the tourists, giving the dozen unprecedented access to not only American stars, but North Korea’s inner circles.
Koryo Tours, a British-run and Beijing-based tour company specializing in North Korea, has gained access to the exclusive event for 12 tourists willing to venture into the country.
Tourist invitation to Dennis Rodman and Paddy Power's basketball invitation in Pyongyang, North Korea on January 8, 2014.
Image via ibtimes.comThe Basketball Match Will Be “The Largest Engagement Projects Ever Undertaken”
The basketball match will reportedly be broadcast on national North Korean television, making it one of “the largest engagement projects ever undertaken” in the country, Koryo says.
Rodman's Friendship With Kim Has Been Criticised As US And North Korea Are Not On Good Terms. US Advises Americans Against Visiting North Korea.
The United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, and advises Americans to stay away in light of the arrest of an 85-year-old Korean War veteran who visited North Korea in October.
newsmax.com
Rodman has been criticized for not talking about North Korea's human rights record, described as one of the world's worst by activists, the U.S. State Department and North Korean defectors.
usatoday.com
Rodman's Friendship With Kim Has Been Criticised As US And North Korea Are Not On Good Terms. US Advises Americans Against Visiting North Korea.
Image via windsorstar.comUS Officials Stress That Rodman Does Not Represent The United States Government In His Trips To North Korea
And she stressed that “we need to focus on what's really important here when it comes to North Korea, the horrible economic situation it's put its people under, not whether or not, you know, a former NBA star is going there to play basketball”. “The focus really should be on the brutality of the North Korean regime he's going to meet with.”
iol.co.za
“Dennis Rodman is not a representative of the US government in his trip to North Korea,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf stressed.
iol.co.za
US Officials Stresses That Rodman Does Not Represent The United States Government In His Trips To North Korea
Image via tumblr.comDennis Rodman First Visited North Korea In March And Since Declared Kim Jong Un a "Friend For Life"
He Will Be Training The Team To Play Against An "NBA All-Stars Team" At An Exhibition Game To Commemorate Kim's 31st Birthday
Image via euronews.comRodman has referred to the North Korean dictator as his "friend for life." It's not clear whether Rodman will meet Kim on this trip; he has on his prior two visits, Fox News reported.
newsmax.com
Rodman's first trip to the secretive, isolated dictatorship took place this spring. It was billed as a "basketball diplomacy mission" by sponsoring media company Vice, which turned the voyage into a decidedly surreal episode in its HBO news magazine series.
mashable.com