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"What did I do so bad?" - Dennis Rodman recalls facing backlash after North Korea visits
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- "What did I do so bad?" - Dennis Rodman recalls facing backlash after North Korea visits
The United States and North Korea have really no diplomatic relations to speak of. While efforts have been made over the years to bridge the gap between the two countries, no durable breakthrough has been achieved, and they remain adversarial to this day.
In the early 2010s, an attempt to mend US-North Korea relations came from a most unlikely source – former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman . Acting in his own capacity and neither representing the NBA nor the US government, "The Worm" used "basketball diplomacy" to try and engage the hermit country to at least consider talks with the US.
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Rodman believed he was able to establish a connection with North Korea's president, Kim Jung-Un, who was a fan of Rodman when he was still playing for the Chicago Bulls . He even referred to the strongman as a friend.
Rodman receives backlash for his friendship with Kim Jung-Un
Rodman first visited North Korea in 2013 as part of a basketball-related "diplomacy" trip organized by media company Vice Media. Over the course of one year, he made several trips back to the country, including organizing an exhibition game featuring American players to mark Kim Jong Un's birthday in Pyongyang.
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The five-time NBA champion claimed he established a personal friendship with the North Korean leader and saw a side of him not known to many.
The ESPN feature, "30 for 30 Rodman For Better Worse," touched on this episode of Rodman's life and how it added a further twist to his already adventure-filled journey.
"I want to bridge [things] with North Korea. I want to open the door to talk to them … I love him (Kim Jung-Un). The guy is awesome. I understand what he is doing. I don't condone that. He's a good guy to me. He is my friend," Rodman said of his "mission" in North Korea and the bond he developed with its president.
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He, however, admitted that he received a lot of backlash for what he was doing in North Korea from people and organizations who criticized him for ignoring the country's poor human rights record and oppression of its own people, as well as its combative stand against the US.
Rodman shared that it was tough for him, and it affected him a lot as a person as he moved to make sense out of all the things thrown his way.
"What am I getting out of this? I'm just trying to help. And the next thing you know, I come back, 'What did I do so bad?' When I go home, I can't even go home. But I kept my head up, I knew things would change," he said.
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No concrete result after Rodman visits North Korea
Unfortunately for Rodman, nothing concrete came out of his efforts in North Korea, as the country continues to have no formal diplomatic relations with the US. The two countries are not at war, but they are not friendly with one another.
The US still sees North Korea as a threat to global security with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. It also continues to impose economic sanctions on the country and supports similar international sanctions.
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But despite that, Rodman was able to make some headway, at least by opening up the conversation about the matter and possibly resolving it. For better or worse, it will be part of his legacy and of how he has approached his life in the most unconventional of ways.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
