Dennis Rodman is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's "Where Are They Now?" issue this week and has some interesting thoughts to share about his trip to North Korea and the state's dictator, Kim Jong-Un.
He said he didn't know much about the country, which is often in the American news for its nuclear threats, before landing.
"Before I landed in Pyongyang, I didn't know Kim Jong-un from Lil' Kim," he says. "I didn't know what country he ruled or what went on in the country he ruled."
He added:
"Fact is, he hasn't bombed anywhere he's threatened to yet. Not South Korea, not Hawaii, not … whatever. People say he's the worst guy in the world. All I know is Kim told me he doesn't want to go to war with America. His whole deal is to talk basketball with Obama. Unfortunately, Obama doesn't want to have anything to do with him. I ask, Mr. President, what's the harm in a simple phone call? This is a new age, man. Come on, Obama, reach out to Kim and be his friend."
Rodman said he plans on returning to the country in August and hopefully work on freeing Kenneth Bae, an American who was sentenced to hard labor earlier this year on charges he tried to topple the regime.
"My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries," Rodman added. "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 the black guy's [Obama's] job. 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."
