SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Irish gaming operator Paddy Power has announced that it has sponsored the controversial trip by former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman to North Korea.
The 52-year-old former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bull basketball player arrived in the capital city of Pyongyang yesterday, wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with Paddy Power’s name and vowing to engage in “basketball diplomacy” with his “friend” Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader. Rodman is on a peace and goodwill visit of the communist country, which is being documented by lifestyle and culture magazine ‘Vice Magazine’.
Dennis Rodman known as ‘the worm’is NBA Hall of Fame player, having won five NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bull. He is recognized as one of the best defensive players in NBA history. He has played in the Euro Basketball league, and is famous in the UK for appearing in the popular reality TV Show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in 2006.
The Irish igaming operator made the following comment on the controversial trip “Paddy Power has an existing relationship with basketball legend Dennis Rodman and is supporting him, at his request, in his mission of basketball diplomacy. In this regard, we have sought guidance and taken advice from International Crisis Group, a well-regarded NGO with an established track record in North Korea.“Dennis will be hosting a press conference in New York on Monday September 9 on return from Pyongyang.
Rodman’s trip to North Korea has drawn much publicity and criticism by the US media. The flamboyant basketball star has publicly proclaimed his friendship with North Korea leader -Kim Jong Un. North Korea has the worst record of human rights record in the world according to United Nations and Human Rights Watch reports. North Korea is also considered a nuclear threat.
