The wonderful folk of Koryo Tours, who aren't responsible for Dennis Rodman but is for so many other Westerners who visit North Korea, passed along this video recently of Americans playing basketball in the DPRK last June. It was the first ever "USA-North Korea basketball exchange."
"Well, I hope this opens up opportunities for the future," participant Luke Elie, founder of Coaches Team International, said. We wonder if he knew, eight months later, Rodman would be there.
Pictured above, flagged by Gawker via Daily NK, is Kim Jong-un, the dictator as a young man during his days at a Swiss boarding school. How exceptionally notable is it that from a team with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, he chose to don the No. 91 jersey belonging to Dennis Rodman? We’re reminded of... Read more »
Former NBA stars Allen Iverson and Dennis Rodman were in Cixi, Zhejiang earlier this week to scrimmage against the Beijing Ducks, which still has (the newly minted) Stephon Marbury, as part of an eight-game, multi-team tour. One Beijing player said it was a dream to play against AI. Ducks coach Min Lulei, however, had no use for such sentiment. He chided his team in the post-game press conference for not taking the opening game seriously enough, which strikes me as just silly -- the Ducks are a month removed from winning the CBA championship, and they haven't practiced together since.
