Dennis Keith Rodman — former NBA star, professional wrestler, actor and current best friend of North Korean dear leader Kim Jong Un — will reportedly be in town for the landmark summit at Cappella Hotel.
As if things couldn’t get even more surreal in Singapore in the coming week.
The New York Post reported that Dennis “The Worm” Rodman will arrive in Singapore a day before the meeting between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader to play some sort of role in the nuclear negotiations. A source who spoke to the Post noted that the “ratings will be huge.” We’re not saying the source is Trump, but that ratings fixation does feel awfully familiar.
“A lot of times in situations that involve complex diplomacy countries like to identify ambassadors of goodwill and whether you agree with it or not, Dennis Rodman fits the bill.”
Rodman’s representative noted to the New York tabloid that no trip to Singapore has officially been confirmed, but Rodman would be willing to go should he be required.
So for the NBA/pop culture-deficient among you, just who the heck is Dennis Rodman and why might he play a key part in the summit? Glad you asked.
The basketball Hall-of-Famer is arguably “the greatest rebounder in NBA history,” and has played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks. In the ’90s he acquired a bad boy reputation and frequently clashed with opposing players and officials through verbal and physical assaults.
Outside of basketball, he ran into troubles with the law, including domestic violence and drunk driving. He pursued a career in professional wrestling and fought in matches alongside Hulk Hogan. He scored lead roles in two really bad movies: Double Team and Simon Sez. He appeared in various reality TV shows, including Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump. In fact, Rodman endorsed Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, stating: “We don’t need another politician, we need a businessman like Mr. Trump!”
Of recent years, the eccentric and outlandish character struck the world’s most unlikeliest bromance with Kim, a known basketball enthusiast. In 2013, the 57-year-old visited North Korea to host basketball exhibitions with the Harlem Globetrotters as part of a VICE documentary. It was there he met Kim Jong Un, and it was there a friendship was born. “He’s my friend for life — I don’t care what you guys think about him,” Rodman once yelled at reporters about his friendship with Kim.
Over the next couple of years, Rodman visited the hermit kingdom a couple more times, each time strengthening his bond with the leader. Once, he even planned to train the North Korean national basketball team. Placed in a unique position of having a personal, cordial friendship with Kim, Rodman turned into an unlikely ambassador, requesting for the release of American prisoners in North Korea and calling for then US president Obama to reach out to Kim.
“My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries. Why it’s been left to me to smooth things over, I don’t know. Dennis Rodman, of all people. Keeping us safe is really not my job; it’s (Obama’s) job,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2013.
But I’ll tell you this: If I don’t finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something’s seriously wrong.”
Lately, he’s even taken credit for the release of American prisoners Kenneth Bae and Otto Warmbier from North Korea. Not sure we’d really want to take credit for the Warmbier release given that the college student was sent back to his parents in a coma from what was almost certainly severe torture, his crime for tearing down a banner on a trip. But hey, bros forever!
In his last visit to North Korea in June last year, Rodman gifted Kim with a copy of Trump’s book The Art of the Deal. Perhaps his presence in the upcoming summit here is required — Rodman remains to be Trump’s and Kim’s only mutual acquaintance after all.
…Or maybe not, considering he still hasn’t proven to be a polite guest.
Dennis Rodman will be in Singapore for Trump-Kim summit.
If this is true, its a very dangerous situation.
Dennis already proved he can't be trusted not to drink on these trips.https://t.co/JD1NYYt0bc pic.twitter.com/653zFoJhAQ
— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) June 5, 2018
Oh, and he broke his dick a couple of times.
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