Rodman holds tryouts for Pyongyang exhibition game (Yahoo Sports)

[ASFN Admin]

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman held tryouts Friday for a North Korean team to face a dozen NBA veterans in an exhibition game on leader Kim Jong Un's birthday next month - though he hasn't convinced all the players on the American team that it's safe to come to Pyongyang. ''You know, they're still afraid to come here, but I'm just telling them, you know, don't be afraid man, it's all love, it's all love here,'' Rodman told The Associated Press after the tryouts at the Pyongyang Indoor Gymnasium. ''I understand what's going on with the political stuff, and I say, I don't go into that venture, I'm just doing one thing for these kids here, and for this country, and for my country, and for the world pretty much.'' Rodman, who arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday, said he expects to announce the roster soon. When asked why he liked basketball, North Korean player Kim Un Chol told Rodman he started playing the game because he was impressed by it on TV, and said he also wants to be good at the sport because it is a favorite of leader Kim and his late father, Kim Jong Il.

More...