Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, is a huge Basketball lover and a loyal fan of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. At first glance, it would seem this is an unlikely pairing, but the two have been chummy friends for years, and share the love of basketball.
In fact, Rodman has traveled to North Korea several times over the past decade, reported CNN. So Tuesday's (June 5) announcement by Rodman's agent that Dennis Rodman was contemplating going to Singapore during the Trump-Kim summit should've come as no surprise.
Rodman tries to avoid North Korea and US politics
Dennis Rodman has said his focus has always been about "bringing sports to North Korea,” a point he reiterated to CNN correspondents in a June 2017 interview during his trip to North Korea, when reporters asked if he would discuss the four hostages that were being detained at the time. Rodman responded that the hostages were “not my purpose right now.”
In January 2014, three years before that media statement, while in Pyongyang for a basketball exhibition, he was again asked about the hostage situation of Kenneth Bae. Bae was sentenced to hard labor and accused of trying to overthrow the North Korean government. During this live interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Rodman became very upset and accusatory.
It should also be noted that Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American evangelist missionary, the hostage Chris Cuomo asked Rodman about, was released after 735 days of captivity and hard labor, according to later CNN reports and in an interview with Bae himself.
PotCoin regularly sponsors Rodman's efforts
The Washington Post reported Rodman has not made up his mind about making the trip, and note that according to Trey Yingst a White House correspondent for the One America News Network if Dennis did go to Singapore, it could likely be a publicity stunt for PotCoin, a sponsoring company.
PotCoin by the way, reported Yingst, is a company that offers “cryptocurrency for the community of legalized marijuana users.” So Rodman going anywhere near the summit would surely bring public, global awareness for the company
Rodman’s agent Darren Prince, publicly told reporters that Potcoin had sponsored Rodman many times in the past in what Rodman calls “basketball diplomacy.”
US government adds distance between Rodman and summit
The whole idea of a summit began with Kim sending a letter and invitation to Trump, not Rodman.
So it is unlikely that Rodman will join the leadership teams at the negotiation table or be involved in talks at all. However, analysts like Marcus Noland from the Peterson Institute for International Economics say that Rodman’s presence could be constructive and “humanize both of the participants, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.” According to the Japan Times, Darren Prince said Rodman would attend the summit if his "expertise was needed."
But it would seem Dennis off the court skills will not be necessary. According to CNN, the White House has already started distancing themselves from anything Rodman, saying he’s “not part of anything” they’re doing at the summit.” The state department also added that they have no comment on Rodman’s private travels and that he is "not a representative of the US government." This is maybe a smart move considering a lot is at stake for both countries, and the US does not want Kim Jong-un to cancel again.
