Former NBA star Dennis Rodman blew up at CNN anchorman Chris Cuomo, when asked if he would stick up for an American imprisoned North Korea while visiting the country’s dictator.
Rodman — who is in Pyongyang to play a basketball game for Kim Jong-un’s birthday — was asked by Cuomo in an interview if he would, “speak up for the family of Kenneth Bae,” who was jailed for so-called “hostile acts” against the country.
“The one thing about politics, Kenneth Bae did one thing. If you understand — if you understand what Kenneth Bae did,” Rodman said, his voice beginning to shake.
“Do you understand what he did? In this country?”
When Cuomo tried to answer, Rodman lashed out, screaming, “I don’t give a rat’s ass what the hell you think!”
Rodman added he and other players had sacrificed a lot to ease the U.S.’ relationship with North Korea.
“We’ve got ten guys here who have left their families to come here!” he said.
Fellow player, Charles Smith, then jumped in, asking Cuomo to stop “baiting” Rodman.
“You’re the guy behind the mic right now,” Smith said. “We’re the guys here doing one thing. We have to go back to America and take the abuse. Do you have to take the abuse that we’re going to take? Do you, sir, are you going to take the abuse?”
