Eccentric former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman went on a trip to North Korea and ended up partying with Kim Jong Un
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There was a time in the 90s when Dennis Rodman gained notoriety as the Bulls’ bad boy. His on and off-the-court antics made him ridiculously famous.
For a player who averaged just 7.3 career points, The Worms’ claim to fame wasn’t his dominance as a basketball player. To be fair to him, Rodman was incredible. In fact, he is somewhere near the top of the list of the best defenders in history.
His claim to fame was what he did when he wasn’t playing. The world, back in the 90s, wasn’t prepared for a star like Rodman. But his edginess and his liberated self drew enough attention.
The attention was at times good, but mostly it was bad. People loved following everything he did. All his brawls with players in official matches and all his stunts in real life drew people to him like moths.
But even though they loved watching Dennis the Menace pushing the boundaries of what was accepted, they hated him too. They hated him for being himself and The Worm struggled with society’s lack of acceptance for decades.
The oddball had his own way of coping with the suffocating media criticism. But his methodology was what made everyone critical in the first place. So, the vicious cycle continued. Rodman continued on his eccentric path and the media continued on its campaign of tearing down the star’s image.
Dennis definitely enjoyed pissing everyone off. But none of his acts can overcome the time he went to North Korea and partied with Kim Jong Un.
A drunk Dennis Rodman sang for North Korea’s dictator
A natural-born rebounder, the former Bulls star spent countless hours perfecting his craft. Rodman likely had a one-track mind on the court. His only task was to keep opponents from recovering rebounds and scoring.
His off-court shenanigans dwarf much of what he did on the basketball court. But none of The Worms’ stories come even close to the time he visited North Korea and drank with Kim Jong Un.
In February of 2013, Rodman took the Harlem Globetrotters and landed in Pyongyang for an exhibition match. The scheduled exhibition match was to take place on dictator Kim Jong Un’s birthday.
An alleged Chicago Bulls fan, Kim is infamous for being a ruthless leader. He is violent, and dangerous, and has issued countless threats to the USA.
For Rodman to go for an exhibition match being held for such a leader was controversial enough in itself. However, he took it to the next level with his antics after the game.
A voice documentary captured and revealed the now infamous after-party to the public.
At the party, Dennis drank alongside the North Korean leader. After a few drinks, however, the 7-time rebounding champ got on the dance floor and showed his moves.
But for Dennis, this wasn’t enough. So, ‘naturally,’ he took the mike and sang Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ much to the amusement and shock of everyone involved.
Since then, he has been on several trips to the country that has been continuously accused of various atrocities. He even took former NBA stars for a game there. Do you think Rodman was wrong to take it this far?
Then again, Kim Jong Un’s alcohol line, which earns $30 million a year, was probably what they were drinking. So god only knows how strong the stuff they were drinking, really was.
Also Read: “Work ethic eliminates fear!”: How Michael Jordan’s iron-clad rule made him the best
