Kim Jong Un is one of the most divisive figures in the world. Meanwhile, one NBA legend who can undoubtedly relate to being a polarizing character is Dennis Rodman. Although he was a two-time winner of the prestigious Defensive Player of the Year award, Rodman will always be remembered more for his zany antics, such as cross-dressing and constantly dyeing his hair in flamboyant colors.
That said, it’s not surprising that Dennis and Kim have struck a friendship through the former’s numerous visits to North Korea. The two apparently hit it off so well that Rodman even described the world’s most popular dictator as “gentle” and “cool.”
A cool tyrant
Rodman’s career has been peppered by controversies — from his much-publicized romances with celebrities like Madonna and Carmen Electra to a few unscrupulous on-court incidents, including one wherein he kicked a photographer in the groin. Yet, even by his standards, his 2013 visit to North Korea as part of a basketball exhibition stood out as particularly remarkable, not to mention foolhardy.
During that visit, Rodman eventually got to meet and know Jong Un on a much deeper level, resulting in him calling the feared dictator a “friend for life.”
Not a lot is known about North Korea, given how everything there is largely kept under wraps. However, Rodman shared that despite all the negative things he had heard about Jong Un before his visit, he did not see any of that during his many visits there.
“In today’s world, you hear bad things about him. Yeah, bad things. North Korea are doing this, North Korea’s doing that. Great, okay, cool. I didn’t see it,” the NBA legend asserted. “But he’s actually changing this culture. He’s actually changing the culture order. He’s actually changing a lot of stuff over there, like how they’re living.”
“They keep saying it, that he’s stolen many people, he’s doing this, he’s doing that, which I didn’t see, but it’s probably happening. But a lot of countries are like that,” Rodman continued. “I think it’s misconstrued, the fact that they say he is this tyrant. You know, but like I said, I don’t have eyes in the back of my head 24/7. But what I saw: he was very gentle, very cool, very understanding.”
Partied hard
Jong Un obviously put his best foot forward, especially since his government invited Rodman and a few other Americans to North Korea. Obviously aware that an international incident could cause him a lot of unwelcome press, Kim gave Dennis the royal treatment.
He put him up in the finest hotel and had everyone wait on him hand and foot. Most of all, knowing his penchant for partying, the North Korean leader showed Rodman a good time.
“We partied together. Oh, we did that. We talked about the parties. Oh, we did that. We had a good time,” Rodman recalled. “He’d have like 80, 90 people there. Well, we had a good time. Kim and I played one game — this shot game, a vodka game — and he had these vodka bottles about this high. It was like 50 bottles of vodka on the table.”
While Rodman undoubtedly had a wonderful time in North Korea, it’s better to take his comments about a ruthless dictator with a grain of salt. Considering that he thought his trip there would be like any routine promotional soiree, it’s safe to say that his experience was far from the norm.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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