Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, is perceived to be the biggest threat to the United States of America. Trump and Kim Jung Un didn't have their first meeting until June 2018. But what matters were taken to make this happen? Would you say if someone told you that it took a NBA player to convince Kim Jong Un to meet with the President of the United States?
Not just any conventional basketball player, but one of the most controversial basketball players of all time, Dennis Rodman. Over the past six years, Dennis Rodman has developed a friendship with the supreme leader of North Korea and it has created a lot of animosity for the Bulls/Pistons legend.
However, for a guy like Dennis Rodman, controversy is just another adventure.
14 Kim Jong-Un Is A Big Basketball Fan
Throughout Kim Jong Un's life, he's been a big basketball fan. In fact, he was obsessed with the 1990s Bulls, which consisted of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. When Jong Un became the supreme leader of North Korea in 2011, he played a big part in bringing a large basketball culture to North Korea.
13 "A Friend For Life"
When Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong Un in 2014, Rodman had the time of his life. In fact, Rodman stated that after the trip, he considered Kim Jong Un to be "a friend for life." This led to a lot of controversy for Dennis Rodman, in which he received a lot of hatred from the American community.
12 'Happy Birthday'
During the 2014 visit, Dennis Rodman participated in Kim Jong Un's birthday celebration. Rodman, Harlem Globetrotters, and some NBA players played in a game with the Korean basketball team for Kim's birthday. After the game, Rodman and the players sang happy birthday to Kim which surfaced around multiple media outlets and created more controversy.
11 Defending Kenneth Bae
Kenneth Bae was a Korean-American Christian Missionary that was convicted by North Korea on charges of planning to overthrow the North Korean government, including setting up bases in China for the purpose of toppling the North Korean government. He was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. However, Dennis Rodman made a statement that he's "gonna try and get the guy out...It's gonna be difficult." In 2014, Bae was released and some believe that Rodman played a role.
10 North Korea x United States Summit
In 2018, Rodman announced that he will be attending the North Korea - United States Summit in 2019. Rodman's friendship with Kim Jong-Un gave America the opportunity to meet with Kim Jong-Un for the first time. Rodman stated, "I think I brought awareness to a lot of things around the world."
9 Kim Jong Un's Heart Surgery
In the midst of COVID-19, North Korean spent a night worried about their supreme leader when #RIPKimJung was trending on twitter. Dennis Rodman stated that "I hope it's just a rumor that Marshal Kim Jong-Un is sick." Dennis Rodman prayed over Kim Jong-Un's heart surgery that occurred just last week.
8 Hanging With Kim's Family
Alongside developing a political relationship with Kim Jong-Un and creating a bigger fan base for basketball in North Korea, but the friendship expanded when Rodman hung out with Kim's family. Rodman stated, " I held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Ms. Ri as well". Rodman commented on Kim Jong-Un as a father stating, "He's a good dad and has a beautiful family."
7 'The Art Of The Deal"
In 2017, Rodman presented North Korea's sports minister with a copy of Trump's 1987 book, "The Art of the Deal" as a gift to Kim. Rodman believes that this act helped with providing the opportunity for Trump and Kim Jong Un to finally meet for the first time. Sometimes platonic friendships help with diplomatic relations.
6 Rodman Endorsed Trump For President
Rodman and Trump have had a relationship since Trump's celebrity days. This relationship aided in Rodman's decision to endorse Trump during his presidential campaign. Rodman tweeted "@realDonaldTrump has been a great friend for many years. We don't need another politician, we need a businessman like Mr. Trump! Trump 2016."
5 'For Better Or Worse'
Rodman recently had an ESPN documentary called, "For Better Or Worse," which illustrated Rodman's early life, professional career, the party life, and personal relationships, which included, Madonna and Kim Jong Un. Rodman stated that "Kim is not the type of person that you think that people portrayed him to be." In addition to that, Rodman stated that what he would tell Donald Trump about Kim if he had the chance is that "Kim is cool and pretty nice."
