Where is Dennis Rodman now? Not far from where he was during his bizarre 14-year NBA career.
In an entertaining and delusional interview as the cover subject of Sports Illustrated’s current “Where are they now?” feature, the five-time NBA champion ranked himself No. 5 on the list of the “the 10 most identifiable people on the planet.”
“I’d come in right after God, Jesus, Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama,” Rodman said.
The 52-year-old, who last played in the NBA in 2000, spent much time talking about his recent visit to North Korea, where Rodman befriended the country’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un.
“Before I landed in Pyongyang, I didn’t know Kim Jong-un from Lil’ Kim,” Rodman said. “I didn’t know what country he ruled or what went on in the country he ruled.”
Now, despite Kim’s repeated threats to attack the United States, Rodman calls the dictator a “friend for life,” having bonded over their mutual love of basketball. The former All-Star hopes to use that relationship as a means to help thaw the icy relations between the U.S. and North Korea, which Rodman plans to visit again in August.
“I’m just [going to] chill, play some basketball and maybe go on vacation with Kim and his family,” Rodman said. “My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries. Why it’s been left to me to smooth things over, I don’t know. Dennis Rodman, of all people.
“Keeping us safe is really not my job; it’s the black guy’s [President Obama’s] job. But I’ll tell you this: If I don’t finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something’s seriously wrong.”
Yes, something’s seriously wrong.