Retired NBA star Rodman in N. Korea on 'basketball diplomacy' trip
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
NEW YORK (AFP) - Flamboyant retired NBA star Dennis Rodman, known as much for his piercings and tattoos as for his court skills, arrived in North Korea on Tuesday to bring it a bit of "basketball diplomacy".
The 51-year-old Hall of Famer, nicknamed The Worm and famed for his changing hair color, off-court antics and dating Madonna, landed in the isolated state with tensions high following the North's third nuclear test.
Video on the website of the North's state Korean Central News Agency shows Rodman arriving at Pyongyang airport in a gray t-shirt, black scarf, black baseball cap, sunglasses, large gold hoop earrings - and a lip ring.
"It's true, I'm in North Korea," the former Chicago Bulls forward said on Twitter, saying he was "looking forward to sitting down with" leader Kim Jong Un, who is reportedly a major basketball fan.
