Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman, center, is greeted by North Korea's Sports Ministry Vice Minister Son Kwang Ho, right, upon his arrival at Sunan International Airport on Tuesday, June 13, 2017,... (Associated Press) 
 
 PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Dennis Rodman, the former NBA bad boy who has palled around with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, flew back to Pyongyang on Tuesday for the first time in Donald Trump's presidency. He said he is "just trying to open a door" on a mission that he thinks his former "Celebrity Apprentice" boss would support. 
 
 Rodman, one of the few people to know both of the nuclear-armed leaders, sported a black T-shirt advertising a marijuana cybercurrency as he talked to reporters briefly before his flight from Beijing to the North Korean capital. 
 
 Asked if he had spoken to Trump about his trip, he said, "Well, I'm pretty sure he's pretty much happy with the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need." 
 
 Rodman has received the red-carpet treatment on four past trips since 2013, but has been roundly criticized for visiting during a time of high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea over its weapons programs. 
 
 His entourage includes Joseph Terwilliger, a professor who has accompanied Rodman on previous trips to North Korea. 
 
 Rodman said the issue of several Americans currently detained by North Korea is "not my purpose right now." 
 
 In Tokyo, a visiting senior U.S. official said Rodman is making the trip as a private citizen. 
 
 "We are aware of his visit. We wish him well, but we have issued travel warnings to Americans and suggested they not travel to North Korea for their own safety," U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon told reporters after discussing the North Korean missile threat and other issues with Japanese counterparts. 
 
 In 2014, Rodman arranged a basketball game with other former NBA players and North Koreans and regaled leader Kim with a rendition of "Happy Birthday." On the same trip, he suggested that an American missionary was at fault for his own imprisonment in North Korea, remarks for which he later apologized. 
 
 A North Korean foreign ministry official said Rodman would stay until Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the ministry had not issued a formal statement. 
 
 Any visit to North Korea by a high-profile American is a political minefield, and Rodman has been criticized for failing to use his influence on leaders who are otherwise isolated diplomatically from the rest of the world. 
 
 Americans are regarded as enemies in North Korea because the two countries never signed a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War. Thousands of U.S. troops are based in South Korea, and the Demilitarized Zone between the North and South is one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. 
 
 A statement issued in New York by a Rodman publicist said the former NBA player is in the rare position of being friends with the leaders of both North Korea and the United States. Rodman was a cast member on two seasons of Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice." 
 
 Rodman tweeted that his trip was being sponsored by Potcoin, one of a growing number of cybercurrencies used to buy and sell marijuana in state-regulated markets. 
 
 North Korea has been hailed by marijuana news outlets and British tabloids as a pothead paradise and maybe even the next Amsterdam of pot tourism. But the claim that marijuana is legal in North Korea is not true. The penal code lists it as a controlled substance in the same category as cocaine and heroin. 
 
 Americans have been sentenced to years in North Korean prisons for such seemingly minor offenses as stealing a political banner and likely could not expect leniency if the country's drug laws were violated. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press journalists Mark Schiefelbein in Beijing and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report. ||||| SINGAPORE (AP) — Former NBA star Dennis Rodman openly wept on television in a live interview from Singapore as President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for the first time. 
 
 The eccentric former reality television star is one of the few westerners to have spent time with Kim during multiple visits to Pyongyang and the two struck up an unlikely friendship over their shared love of basketball. Rodman also goes back years with Trump and appeared on his "Celebrity Apprentice" show. 
 
 In an emotional with CNN's Chris Cuomo, Rodman, wearing sunglasses and a "Make America Great Again" hat, said he had received a call from the White House ahead of Trump's historic meeting with Kim — the first between a sitting president and North Korean leader. 
 
 "Yes, Donald Trump reached out," Rodman said, telling Cuomo he'd received a call from a person he described as Trump's secretary. 
 
 "She called me and said, 'Dennis, Donald Trump is so proud of you. He thanks you a lot.' And that means a lot," said Rodman. He added that he suspected he "somewhat had something to do with this North Korean situation." 
 
 The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the call. 
 
 Rodman grew emotional in the interview as he recalled former President Barack Obama failing to take him seriously when he returned from Pyongyang with a message from Kim after one of his trips. 
 
 Rodman said Obama "just brushed me off" and "didn't even give me the time of day." 
 
 He expressed hope that Trump and Kim would be able to make progress. 
 
 "We don't need a miracle. We just need the doors to be opened so we can start fresh," he said, telling Cuomo, "it's a great day" and exclaiming: "I'm so happy!" 
 
 Asked to describe Kim, Rodman said the autocratic leader was "like a big kid" who wants to have a good time, but is "trying to protect his people" and his honor. 
 
 "This guy wants to be around the world, he wants to come to America, he wants to enjoy his life, he wants his people to enjoy this life," said Rodman, adding that Kim is "not a dumb man." 
 
 White House officials have said that Rodman would play no official role in the diplomatic negotiations. Last week, Trump told reporters that Rodman had not been invited to the summit, but praised him as a "nice guy" and great rebounder. 
 
 Rodman told reporters at Changi airport that he'd traveled to Singapore "to see what's going on" and that he hoped "that things turn out to be well for everyone in the world." 
 
 Asked if he would meet Kim in Singapore, he said he thought the North Korean leader had "bigger things to worry about," but added that every time he'd met with Kim, it had been a surprise. 
 
 Rodman's trip was sponsored by PotCoin, a cryptocurrency company that gives marijuana businesses access to banking as an alternative to many financial institutions that will not do business with cannabis companies because marijuana is illegal under U.S. federal law. 
 
 In 2014, Trump tweeted dismissively about the possibility that he and Rodman would someday travel to North Korea together. 
 
 "Dennis Rodman was either drunk or on drugs (delusional) when he said I wanted to go to North Korea with him. Glad I fired him on Apprentice!" Trump wrote. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Colvin reported from Washington. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Dennis Rodman was mobbed by the press at Beijing airport en route to Pyongyang 
 
 Controversial US basketball star Dennis Rodman is returning for a visit to North Korea. 
 
 The former NBA player is travelling as a private citizen. 
 
 "I'm just trying to open the door," he told reporters at Beijing airport, en route to the reclusive state. 
 
 He made headlines after befriending North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on previous trips to Pyongyang in 2013 and 2014. Mr Rodman has called him his "friend for life". 
 
 The US state department said it is aware of his visit. 
 
 "We wish him well. But we have issued travel warnings to Americans and suggested they not travel to North Korea for their own safety," said US Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon, according to Reuters news agency. 
 
 Mr Rodman told reporters, "My purpose is to actually see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea, so that's the main thing." 
 
 It is unclear whether he will also bring up the detention of US citizens in the country. 
 
 Image copyright AFP / Getty Images Image caption North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and Dennis Rodman watched basketball together in 2013 
 
 US and North Korean tensions have intensified under President Donald Trump, who has said he fears a "major, major conflict" breaking out between the two countries. 
 
 However, the president has also said he would be "honoured" to meet Mr Kim, in the right circumstances. 
 
 Trump's old apprentice 
 
 Speaking at the airport on Tuesday, Mr Rodman said: "I am pretty much sure that he [Trump] is happy with the fact that I am over here trying to accomplish something that we both need." 
 
 When asked about Mr Rodman's North Korea visits in 2013, Mr Trump told Fox News: "You look at the world, the world is blowing up around us. Maybe Dennis is a lot better than what we have." 
 
 Mr Rodman had been a contestant on Mr Trump's reality TV show The Celebrity Apprentice that same year. 
 
 In 2014, Mr Trump flatly dismissed rumours that the pair might travel to North Korea together. 
 
 Image copyright Twitter / Donald Trump Image caption Donald Trump's 2014 tweet 
 
 The former Chicago Bulls star also once encouraged former US President Barack Obama to "pick up the phone and call" Mr Kim, emphasising that the two leaders both liked basketball. 
 
 His trips have been referred to as "basketball diplomacy" in the US press. 
 
 In 2014, Mr Rodman told luxury lifestyle magazine DuJour he had approached the US government for support but was rejected. 
 
 Tears and favours 
 
 He has previously broken down in tears during TV interviews, saying he has had death threats over his trips, which have been condemned by human rights activists. 
 
 Although at one point he did tweet Mr Kim to ask if he would "do me a solid and let Kenneth Bae loose" - referring to a US-Korean missionary who served two years in prison for trying to overthrow the government. 
 
 Mr Bae later thanked Mr Rodman for raising public awareness of his case. 
 
 On Twitter on Tuesday, Mr Rodman said his latest trip was being sponsored by a company that provides digital currency for the marijuana industry. He wore fully branded clothes to the airport. 
 
 A previous trip to the country was sponsored by a betting company. ||||| Former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman spoke out in an exclusive interview with ABC News about his recent trip to North Korea, suggesting that he is partly responsible for the reclusive nation's release of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died last Monday, just days after being medically evacuated from a North Korean prison. 
 
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 "I was just so happy to see the kid released," Rodman told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Michael Strahan of when he first learned of Warmbier's release. "Later that day, that's when we found out he was ill, no one knew that. We jumped up and down ... Some good things came of this trip." 
 
 Warmbier, who was released on the same day that Rodman arrived in North Korea for a brief visit, was sent back to the U.S. in a state of unresponsive wakefulness, according to doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. 
 
 The University of Virginia student was detained by North Korea for nearly 17 months following his January 2016 arrest in Pyongyang, for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda poster while he was visiting the country on a sightseeing tour. 
 
 Despite Rodman's belief that he had something to do with Warmbier's release, a Department of State spokesperson has said that Rodman had nothing to do with Warmbier's release, according to the Associated Press. Warmbier's father also said in a statement to ABC News that "Dennis Rodman had nothing to do with Otto returning to the United States." 
 
 Chris Volo, Rodman's agent who accompanied the athlete on his trip to North Korea, told ABC News that before they went, "I asked on behalf of Dennis for his release three times." 
 
 "I know being there had something to do with it," Volo said of Warmbier's release. "Because when I was organizing the trip ... and I meet with the delegates here, you know, I addressed ... Otto Warmbier. And I said to them, 'we...would need his...you know, a release, some type of good faith, if we're ever going to do some type of future sports relations ... They said they understood." 
 
 Rodman said he wished to "give all the prayer and love" to the Warmbier's family, adding "I didn't know that he was sick." 
 
 Volo added that they have contacted the family and are hoping to meet them, "but we were told that, you know, it just couldn't happen." 
 
 The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year said he didn't meet with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un, during his most recent visit. 
 
 "The previous times we did," he added. "I think the fact that, you know, my trips going up to North Korea is more like trying ... to get to communicate sports-wise. It ain't about trying to release people." 
 
 "It's not trying to do ... political stuff. It's almost just trying to reach out for sports and see if I can bring sports to North Korea," Rodman said. 
 
 ABC News 
 
 'People don't see ... the good side about that country' 
 
 Rodman also discussed how the country has changed over the course of his visits, saying "we've seen a lot of changes," including "the fact that it is so modernized now." 
 
 "When you go over there, and you hear the radio, and ... people are talking," Rodman said. "They're so happy now, because it's more like ... it's civilized again." 
 
 Rodman, who calls North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un a friend, said, "people don't see ... the good side about that country. It's like going, like, to Asia. It's like going to like Istanbul, Turkey, or any place like that. It's pretty much just like that. You're know, you going to see some poverty. You're going to see some people that's not doing too well." 
 
 "I think people don't see him as ... a friendly guy," Rodman added of the country's dictator, adding "if you actually talk to him" you would see a different side of him. 
 
 "We sing karaoke," Rodman added of his relationship with Jong-Un. "It's all fun. Ride horses, everything." 
 
 "It's the politics that's the bad thing. If we can try to figure something out, just open the door," Rodman suggested, saying that he believes "if Donald Trump had a chance," he would fly to North Korea "and try to make peace." 
 
 Rodman, who identifies as a Trump supporter, also called on the president to join him in creating peace with North Korea. 
 
 "I'll ask him right now. Donald, come talk to me. Let's try to work this out. Because you know what? I get nothing out of this. The only thing I get is out of pride for my country, America. I love America," Rodman said. "But I want these two sides to get together and try to figure something out. Some dialogue. That's it." 
 
 Rodman also revealed that the North Korean leader gave him a message to pass on to former President Obama on one of his previous visits, and he thinks the next time he visits, the leader may give him a message for President Trump 
 
 "I think the next time we go, I think it's going to be in August. I think the fact that when ... I sit there and talk to him ... he'll throw comments out there," Rodman said of Kim Jong-Un. "You know, he'll say, 'I want three things, Dennis, from you, if you can do this for us.'" 
 
 Rodman said that his message for former President Obama was to ask him to "move his ships." 
 
 "He said, 'There's just one thing I, I, would love for ... Obama to do,'" Rodman said of his conversation with Kim Jong-Un. "He said, 'I would love him if he can move his ships...away a little bit.' That's the one thing he asked me. He said, 'If he can do that, I think we can have some new positive.'" 
 
 Rodman said that he is not going to North Korea for attention, saying, "I don't need to be on TV." 
 
 "What am I getting out of this? I'm going over there out of my kindness of my heart just to try to help. Just to open the door ... a little bit so we can have [a] talk," Rodman said. 
 
 "I'm spending hundreds of dollars just to go over there to try to just open the door a little bit," Rodman said. 
 
 Rodman said despite the widespread criticism and backlash that he has faced for his trips to North Korea, "I think it's worth it." 
 
 ABC News' Morgan Winsor contributed to this report ||||| Story highlights Sister of American held prisoner says the family is outraged by Rodman 
 
 "Do you understand what he did in this country?" Rodman asks CNN about Kenneth Bae 
 
 Bill Richardson says Rodman "crossed a line" in his comments from North Korea 
 
 The NBA commissioner says he disapproves of the way the trip is being carried out 
 
 Eccentric basketball star Dennis Rodman's bizarre outburst about an American citizen jailed in North Korea has drawn widespread criticism, including from the prisoner's family. 
 
 Rodman is in North Korea with other former NBA players for a basketball game against a local team that's due to take place Wednesday, the birthday of the country's leader Kim Jong Un. 
 
 Rodman, 52, who visited North Korea three times previously in the past year, describes Kim as a beloved friend. 
 
 During an exclusive interview from Pyongyang on Tuesday, he reacted angrily to a question from Chris Cuomo of CNN's "New Day" about whether he was planning to ask North Korean leaders about Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp by North Korea last year on charges he intended to topple the government. 
 
 Rodman suggested that Bae, a Korean-American whose health has deteriorated during his imprisonment, had done something wrong, but did not specify what. 
 
 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman is surrounded by North Korean officials and members of the media upon his arrival at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Tuesday, June 13. The trip comes at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Pyongyang. Hide Caption 1 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman arrives in North Korea on June 13. When asked if he planned to talk to North Korean officials about the four Americans detained there, Rodman said: "Well that's not my purpose right now. ... My purpose is to go over there and try to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea." Hide Caption 2 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman waves to photographers at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of his departure to Pyongyang on June 13. Hide Caption 3 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea At the Beijing airport, Rodman told CNN he was hoping to do "something that's pretty positive" before boarding a plane bound for North Korea. Hide Caption 4 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea In a handout photo from the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with Rodman during an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang on January 8, 2014. Rodman, a former contestant on Donald Trump's pre-presidency reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice," is one of the few Americans to have met Kim. Hide Caption 5 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman sings "Happy Birthday" to Kim before the exhibition game in Pyongyang. In what he calls "basketball diplomacy," Rodman participated in a game between North Korea and a team of former NBA players. Hide Caption 6 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea A bottle of vodka with illustrations of Rodman, Kim and Rodman's name written in Korean sits on the roof of a car outside a Pyongyang hotel in January 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Son Kwang Ho, vice minister of North Korea's Sports Ministry, greets Rodman at the airport in Pyongyang in January 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman plays one-on-one with a North Korean player during a practice session in Pyongyang in December 2013. During the session, Rodman selected the members of the North Korean team who would play in Pyongyang against the visiting NBA stars. Hide Caption 9 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman holds a cigar as he speaks to North Korean basketball players during the practice session in December 2013. Hide Caption 10 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman attracts notice as he enters the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang in December 2013. Hide Caption 11 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman arrives at Beijing's airport before a flight to North Korea in December 2013. Hide Caption 12 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman shows photos of himself with Kim while talking to journalists at the Beijing airport in September 2013. It was after his second trip to the reclusive nation. Hide Caption 13 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman faces questions about detained American Kenneth Bae at the Beijing airport in September 2013. "It is not my job to talk about Kenneth Bae," he told reporters. Bae was later released from detention in North Korea in 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Kim talks with Rodman during a dinner in this undated photo published on the homepage of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper on September 7, 2013. Hide Caption 15 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman arrives at North Korea's Pyongyang airport in September 2013. Hide Caption 16 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Airport staff take pictures of the former NBA star at a check-in counter in Beijing in September 2013. Hide Caption 17 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman hugs Kim in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency after a basketball game in Pyongyang in February 2013. Hide Caption 18 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea A photo released by the Korean Central News Agency shows Kim and Rodman clapping during a basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters and players from the North Korean University of Physical Education in February 2013. Hide Caption 19 of 19 
 
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 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – During his Hall of Fame basketball career, Dennis Rodman was known for his flashy looks on and off the court. Here, Rodman sports the logo of the Chicago Bulls, who he won the NBA title with in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman stretches before a game in Seattle in 1996. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman signs his first autobiography, "Bad As I Wanna Be," in a Chicago bookstore in 1996. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman dives for a loose ball during a game in 1997. Rodman is one of the NBA's all-time greatest rebounders, leading the league in that category from 1992 to 1998. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman arrives at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1997. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 1998. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman is hit with a trash can by Curt Hennig during a pro wrestling match in Sydney in 2000. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman rocks gold pants in 2004. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman took part in the 2006 Lingerie Bowl. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman appears in costume for a book signing of his second autobiography, "I Should be Dead by Now," in 2005. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman wears makeup similar to the rock band Kiss in 2006. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman arrives at the Basketball Hall of Fame for his enshrinement in 2011. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman wears face paint in 2011 while playing a basketball game with other NBA greats in Macau. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman puckers his lips and holds the face of writer/director Alex Forstenhausler at the "So You Think You Can Roast?" event at the New York Friars Club in 2013. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman attends the finale of the television show "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" in 2013. Rodman has appeared on several reality TV shows, even winning "Celebrity Mole" in 2004. Hide Caption 15 of 15 
 
 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Former basketball star Dennis Rodman plays one-on-one with a North Korean player during a practice session in Pyongyang, North Korea, on December 20, 2013. Rodman and several other former NBA players have arrived in North Korea to take part in a basketball game on Wednesday, January 8, the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Vin Baker shoots the basketball during a 1998 playoff game in Los Angeles. Baker is one of seven former NBA players taking part in the game in North Korea, according to Rodman's agent, Darren Prince. Baker was a four-time NBA All-Star who averaged 15 points a game during a 13-year career that ended in 2006. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Power forward Charles Smith, dribbling the ball in this photo, played nine NBA seasons after being drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1988. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds during his career. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Craig Hodges played in the NBA for 10 seasons and is most known for winning the league's Three-Point Shootout competition in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Point guard Kenny Anderson was the second overall pick by the New Jersey Nets in 1991, and he would play on seven more teams before his 15-year career ended in 2005. Anderson, a former All-American at Georgia Tech, averaged 12.6 points and 6.1 assists during his NBA career. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Shooting guard Doug Christie played in the NBA for 15 seasons before retiring in 2007. He averaged 11.2 points per game during his career, and he made the NBA's All-Defensive Team on four occasions. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Clifford Robinson scored nearly 20,000 points during an NBA career that spanned 18 seasons. Robinson was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 1993, when he played with the Portland Trail Blazers. Hide Caption 7 of 7 
 
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 "Do you understand what he did in this country?" Rodman asked Cuomo. "No, no, no, you tell me, you tell me. Why is he held captive here in this country, why?" 
 
 "I would love to speak on this," Rodman said, before abruptly switching topic to talk about how his fellow basketball players had left their families behind to come to North Korea for the exhibition game. 
 
 Prisoner's family 'appalled' 
 
 Bae's sister, Terri Chung, told Anderson Cooper 360 that Rodman's comments were shocking and outrageous. 
 
 Bae, a married father of three, has suffered a series of health problems during his detention and has been transferred from the labor camp to a hospital. 
 
 His mother, Myunghee Bae, who visited in October, told CNN that her son was a devout Christian who had not understood the system in North Korea. North Korea is officially an atheist state and has said religious activities were among Bae's offenses. 
 
 Chung said Tuesday she was upset because Rodman didn't use his relationship with Kim to help gain her brother's release from the hospital. 
 
 "He was in a position to do some good and to help advocate for Kenneth," she said. "He refused to do so. But then instead he has chosen to hurl these outrageous accusations against Kenneth. He clearly doesn't know anything about Kenneth, about his case. And so we were appalled by that." 
 
 She said her brother was in North Korea legally working as a tour operator when he was arrested in November 2012. She said she hoped one of the former basketball players would take a chance to ask for amnesty for him. 
 
 "This isn't some game. This is about a person's life," she said. 
 
 Rodman 'crossed a line' 
 
 Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also criticized Rodman's comments, telling CNN he was "disappointed" by the former NBA star's performance. 
 
 "I think Dennis Rodman crossed a line this morning by implying that Kenneth Bae might be guilty, by suggesting that there was a crime," said Richardson, who worked to secure the release of an American held in North Korea in 1996. "There is no crime. Kenneth Bae is an American detainee that's been there a year in bad health, who deserves to come home." 
 
 Richardson, a former New Mexico governor who has visited North Korea multiple times, said Rodman "drank a little bit too much of the Kool-Aid from the North Koreans." 
 
 Rodman's comments Tuesday contrast with a request he made on Twitter in May for Kim to "do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose." 
 
 Rodman struck up a friendship with Kim last February, when he first traveled to North Korea with a team of Harlem Globetrotters for an exhibition game that was watched by Kim, who is a basketball fan. 
 
 He has described his series of trips to North Korea as a "basketball diplomacy" project. 
 
 But U.S. government officials have said that they have nothing to do with the visits and that attention should be focused on the brutality of Kim's regime. 
 
 White House spokesman Jay Carney noted that Rodman is on a private trip and that the United States has called for North Korea to release Bae. "Our views about Kenneth Bae have not changed," he said. 
 
 "I did not see some of the comments that Mr. Rodman made, but I am not going to dignify that outburst with a response," Carney added. "I am simply going to say that we remain gravely concerned about Kenneth Bae's health and continue to urge the DPRK authorities to grant his amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds." 
 
 'I love my friend' 
 
 In the interview with Cuomo, Rodman defended the visit to North Korea, saying it was a "great idea for the world." 
 
 He became upset when pressed on whether he and the other players should have traveled there, given recent events in the secretive country. 
 
 The trip takes place weeks after North Korea announced the purge and execution of leader Kim's once-powerful uncle, Jang Song Thaek. 
 
 "I love my friend," Rodman said in a reference to Kim. "This is my friend." 
 
 He praised his companions' willingness to visit North Korea. 
 
 "You know, you've got 10 guys here, 10 guys here, that have left their families, they've left their damn families, to help this country in a sports venture. That's 10 guys, all these guys here, do anyone understand that?" 
 
 "We do," responded Cuomo. "And we appreciate that and we wish them well with cultural exchange." 
 
 "No, no, no, no," Rodman continued. "I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at these guys here, look at them ... they dared to do one thing, they came here." 
 
 Ready for 'the abuse' 
 
 After Rodman's outburst, fellow player Charles D. Smith tried to calm the discussion, but Rodman carried on. 
 
 "You're the guy behind the mic right now," he told Cuomo. "We're the guys here doing one thing. We have to go back to America and take the abuse. Do you have to take the abuse? Well, we're going to take it." 
 
 Rodman predicted his efforts and those of his fellow athletes would eventually "open the door" to North Korean. 
 
 Smith pointed out that the group comprised not only ex-players, but some 40 other people, including a number of other Americans. 
 
 Smith defended Rodman, saying the players' visit was about basketball, not politics. "We just hope the results are positive, and we think that they'll be positive," he said, noting that the Americans had interacted earlier in the day with their North Korean counterparts, talking through an interpreter. 
 
 North Korea had invited the American players as a kind of "cultural exchange" and to "put smiles on people's faces," not to influence the country's leaders, Smith said. 
 
 "We are here because it's about doing great will around the world," he said. 
 
 'We're not ambassadors' 
 
 Smith outlined the charity projects he has been involved in worldwide through his sport, including visiting typhoon victims in Asia. 
 
 "We're doing what we do, we play basketball and that's what we love to do," Smith said. 
 
 "We did not know that it was going to take this type of a negative spin on what we were doing because we're not politicians, we're not ambassadors. We're here to do what we've been doing most of our lives." 
 
 Smith apologized for "the storm that has been created by our presence." But, he added, "We're not apologizing for doing what we do ... we're connecting people to basketball and people to people." 
 
 He cautioned against "playing semantics" when discussing Rodman's use of the word "friend" in describing his relationship with Kim. 
 
 "It's an associate," he said. "You met someone once, and it's your friend ... you can't meet someone once or twice and take that enduring step." 
 
 Smith added that the players were interested only in using basketball as a bridge to cultural exchange. "None of these guys are here to talk any sense into any politician," he said. 
 
 Darren Prince, Rodman's agent for 16 years, told CNN on Sunday that Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Vin Baker, Craig Hodges, Doug Christie and Smith would play against the North Korean senior national team. 
 
 NBA unimpressed 
 
 The NBA distanced itself Tuesday from Rodman. 
 
 "Dennis will be Dennis, but I think there is a lot at stake here in terms of a ... a very dangerous country," outgoing NBA Commissioner David Stern said on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. 
 
 Stern, commissioner for nearly 30 years, said the league has had preliminary discussions in the past with Pyongyang about a cultural exchange but he wouldn't send any players to North Korea without the OK of the White House. 
 
 Stern said he believed that these former players agreed to the game for a big payday and didn't think about the political ramifications. 
 
 He said that the league didn't sanction the trip or collaborate with Rodman's group. 
 
 "Sports diplomacy is a wonderful thing," he said, mentioning that the NBA has hosted teams from China and Iran. "But they should be done in a far more dignified fashion than this particular trip is being carried out."
– One of the world's weirdest bromances appears to be alive and well: Dennis Rodman has returned to Pyongyang for his first visit to North Korea since his former Celebrity Apprentice boss became president, the BBC reports. Rodman, who has described dictator Kim Jong Un as a "friend for life," told reporters he was "just trying to open a door" and he is sure President Trump will be "happy with the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need," the AP reports. In a tweet, Rodman thanked Potcoin, a cybercurrency used in marijuana transactions, for sponsoring his trip. He wore a Potcoin T-shirt at the airport. Rodman's visit, the first since early 2014, comes at a time of growing US-North Korea tensions. "I know the Trump administration has been trying half-heartedly to start a dialogue with the North Koreans," analyst Joel Wit tells the Los Angeles Times. "It would be strange to use Dennis Rodman as an intermediary," he says, "but under the Trump administration a lot of things are possible that wouldn’t have been with other administrations." When Rodman suggested in 2014 that Trump was interested in visiting Pyongyang, Trump tweeted: "Dennis Rodman was either drunk or on drugs (delusional) when he said I wanted to go to North Korea with him. Glad I fired him on Apprentice!"