Former NBA wild man Dennis Rodman has a message to President Obama from North Korean leader Kim Jung-un: Call me.
Rodman traveled to North Korea with the Harlem Globetrotters and a camera crew for an upcoming HBO series. Kim and Rodman sat courtside together during the Globetrotters’ exhibition game—but the visit didn’t end there. They also visited an aquarium, an ice skating rink, and shared a long group dinner.
“He’s a great guy. He’s awesome and honest,” Rodman told reporters after he returned to the U.S.
On ABC’s This Week, George Stephanopoulos quizzed Rodman about the bizarre friendship, and whether Rodman was aware of Kim’s threats against the United States or the regime’s record on human rights.
“I didn’t look at all of that, I don’t condone that. I hate the fact that he’s doing that. But that’s a human being though. He let his guard down,” Rodman said.
Rodman now has more first-hand impressions of Kim than any other American.
“What I saw in that country…I saw that people respect him and his family,” said Rodman. Rodman says Kim has a message for the president: “Call him. I don’t want to do war.” The former basketball star offered a prescription for diplomacy: “Kim loves basketball. Obama loves basketball. Let’s start there.” Rodman said he planned to go back to North Korea to “find out more what’s really going on.”
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