Will Former NBA Players Actually Play In Dennis Rodman's Exhibition Game Celebrating Kim Jong Un's Birthday?
ByIn Dennis Rodman's latest visit to North Korea on Thursday, he held tryouts for the North Korean team expected to face former NBA players in a January 8th exhibition game celebrating dictator's Kim Jon Un's birthday. Rodman's current five day trip is his third in a series of odd adventures meant to open communication between the United States and North Korea, Time reported.
"It's not about win or loss. It's about one thing - unite two countries," Rodman said of the game.
The roster of former NBA players has yet to be announced, though the 2011 Hall-of-Famer told NBA.com he expects to name the team soon, and, as if to quell doubters wondering if any American would actually agree to play, spoke of plans to stage another exhibition in June.
Given Jong Un's recent execution of his uncle, the makeup of Rodman's roster is even more questionable. If there were Vegas odds riding on it, the plus/minus for number of former NBA players would probably be somewhere around one or two. Best case scenario, Rodman will recruit American-born players who play or have played overseas. Of course, predicting the behavior of The Worm is probably the worst bet one could make. If he somehow picked up Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, I'd only be mildly shocked.
Just for fun, I've constructed the perfect starting five to travel to North Korea and play in honor of Jong Un's birthday.
C: Shawn Bradley: There's a reason the United States and China produce some of the largest human beings on earth: both have enormous populations and are relatively developed. What better person to represent the robustness of the United States than the 7-foot-6 Bradley?
PF: Karl Malone: This one was obvious. The Worm and The Mailman fought on the court and once even in the ring. Malone grew up in the south and played nearly his entire career in Utah, but his actions fail to reflect the conservative attitudes of either region.
SF: Rick Barry: I don't know an incredible amount about Rick Barry, but I've heard he was one of the meaner NBA players of his era. A man with strong opinions, Barry would likely cherish the opportunity to speak directly with Kim Jong Un.
SG: Walt Frazier: Frazier likely wouldn't agree to play, but maybe he's finally had it with the Knicks. His devilish vocabulary would only come second to his outlandish fashion choices in Pyongyang, where the game is to be played. Keep in mind, this is a man who once posed in boxer briefs on a circular leopard print bed with what appeared to be a thesaurus strewn casually by his side. He's no stranger to the exotic.
PG: Isiah Thomas: Thomas played with Rodman on the Bad Boy Pistons teams, and has since both risen and fallen out of the spotlight (kind of like Rodman). The fellow Hall-of-Famer has found himself in an unlikely destination before (head coach at Florida International University), why not North Korea for the weekend?