Story highlights Sister of American held prisoner says the family is outraged by Rodman 
 
 "Do you understand what he did in this country?" Rodman asks CNN about Kenneth Bae 
 
 Bill Richardson says Rodman "crossed a line" in his comments from North Korea 
 
 The NBA commissioner says he disapproves of the way the trip is being carried out 
 
 Eccentric basketball star Dennis Rodman's bizarre outburst about an American citizen jailed in North Korea has drawn widespread criticism, including from the prisoner's family. 
 
 Rodman is in North Korea with other former NBA players for a basketball game against a local team that's due to take place Wednesday, the birthday of the country's leader Kim Jong Un. 
 
 Rodman, 52, who visited North Korea three times previously in the past year, describes Kim as a beloved friend. 
 
 During an exclusive interview from Pyongyang on Tuesday, he reacted angrily to a question from Chris Cuomo of CNN's "New Day" about whether he was planning to ask North Korean leaders about Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp by North Korea last year on charges he intended to topple the government. 
 
 Rodman suggested that Bae, a Korean-American whose health has deteriorated during his imprisonment, had done something wrong, but did not specify what. 
 
 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman is surrounded by North Korean officials and members of the media upon his arrival at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Tuesday, June 13. The trip comes at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Pyongyang. Hide Caption 1 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman arrives in North Korea on June 13. When asked if he planned to talk to North Korean officials about the four Americans detained there, Rodman said: "Well that's not my purpose right now. ... My purpose is to go over there and try to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea." Hide Caption 2 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman waves to photographers at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of his departure to Pyongyang on June 13. Hide Caption 3 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea At the Beijing airport, Rodman told CNN he was hoping to do "something that's pretty positive" before boarding a plane bound for North Korea. Hide Caption 4 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea In a handout photo from the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with Rodman during an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang on January 8, 2014. Rodman, a former contestant on Donald Trump's pre-presidency reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice," is one of the few Americans to have met Kim. Hide Caption 5 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman sings "Happy Birthday" to Kim before the exhibition game in Pyongyang. In what he calls "basketball diplomacy," Rodman participated in a game between North Korea and a team of former NBA players. Hide Caption 6 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea A bottle of vodka with illustrations of Rodman, Kim and Rodman's name written in Korean sits on the roof of a car outside a Pyongyang hotel in January 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Son Kwang Ho, vice minister of North Korea's Sports Ministry, greets Rodman at the airport in Pyongyang in January 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman plays one-on-one with a North Korean player during a practice session in Pyongyang in December 2013. During the session, Rodman selected the members of the North Korean team who would play in Pyongyang against the visiting NBA stars. Hide Caption 9 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman holds a cigar as he speaks to North Korean basketball players during the practice session in December 2013. Hide Caption 10 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman attracts notice as he enters the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang in December 2013. Hide Caption 11 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman arrives at Beijing's airport before a flight to North Korea in December 2013. Hide Caption 12 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman shows photos of himself with Kim while talking to journalists at the Beijing airport in September 2013. It was after his second trip to the reclusive nation. Hide Caption 13 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman faces questions about detained American Kenneth Bae at the Beijing airport in September 2013. "It is not my job to talk about Kenneth Bae," he told reporters. Bae was later released from detention in North Korea in 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Kim talks with Rodman during a dinner in this undated photo published on the homepage of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper on September 7, 2013. Hide Caption 15 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman arrives at North Korea's Pyongyang airport in September 2013. Hide Caption 16 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Airport staff take pictures of the former NBA star at a check-in counter in Beijing in September 2013. Hide Caption 17 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea Rodman hugs Kim in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency after a basketball game in Pyongyang in February 2013. Hide Caption 18 of 19 Photos: Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea A photo released by the Korean Central News Agency shows Kim and Rodman clapping during a basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters and players from the North Korean University of Physical Education in February 2013. Hide Caption 19 of 19 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rodman fiery on Kenneth Bae question Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rodman fiery on Kenneth Bae question 02:27 
 
 JUST WATCHED Cuomo: Rodman isn't on cultural exchange Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Cuomo: Rodman isn't on cultural exchange 03:40 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rodman to CNN: I don't give a s*** Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rodman to CNN: I don't give a s*** 08:25 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rodman defiant in odd N. Korea defense Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rodman defiant in odd N. Korea defense 08:11 
 
 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – During his Hall of Fame basketball career, Dennis Rodman was known for his flashy looks on and off the court. Here, Rodman sports the logo of the Chicago Bulls, who he won the NBA title with in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman stretches before a game in Seattle in 1996. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman signs his first autobiography, "Bad As I Wanna Be," in a Chicago bookstore in 1996. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman dives for a loose ball during a game in 1997. Rodman is one of the NBA's all-time greatest rebounders, leading the league in that category from 1992 to 1998. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman arrives at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1997. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 1998. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman is hit with a trash can by Curt Hennig during a pro wrestling match in Sydney in 2000. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman rocks gold pants in 2004. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman took part in the 2006 Lingerie Bowl. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman appears in costume for a book signing of his second autobiography, "I Should be Dead by Now," in 2005. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman wears makeup similar to the rock band Kiss in 2006. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman arrives at the Basketball Hall of Fame for his enshrinement in 2011. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman wears face paint in 2011 while playing a basketball game with other NBA greats in Macau. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman puckers his lips and holds the face of writer/director Alex Forstenhausler at the "So You Think You Can Roast?" event at the New York Friars Club in 2013. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos Dennis Rodman: Hoops, hair and tattoos – Rodman attends the finale of the television show "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" in 2013. Rodman has appeared on several reality TV shows, even winning "Celebrity Mole" in 2004. Hide Caption 15 of 15 
 
 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Former basketball star Dennis Rodman plays one-on-one with a North Korean player during a practice session in Pyongyang, North Korea, on December 20, 2013. Rodman and several other former NBA players have arrived in North Korea to take part in a basketball game on Wednesday, January 8, the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Vin Baker shoots the basketball during a 1998 playoff game in Los Angeles. Baker is one of seven former NBA players taking part in the game in North Korea, according to Rodman's agent, Darren Prince. Baker was a four-time NBA All-Star who averaged 15 points a game during a 13-year career that ended in 2006. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Power forward Charles Smith, dribbling the ball in this photo, played nine NBA seasons after being drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1988. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds during his career. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Craig Hodges played in the NBA for 10 seasons and is most known for winning the league's Three-Point Shootout competition in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Point guard Kenny Anderson was the second overall pick by the New Jersey Nets in 1991, and he would play on seven more teams before his 15-year career ended in 2005. Anderson, a former All-American at Georgia Tech, averaged 12.6 points and 6.1 assists during his NBA career. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Shooting guard Doug Christie played in the NBA for 15 seasons before retiring in 2007. He averaged 11.2 points per game during his career, and he made the NBA's All-Defensive Team on four occasions. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Clifford Robinson scored nearly 20,000 points during an NBA career that spanned 18 seasons. Robinson was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 1993, when he played with the Portland Trail Blazers. Hide Caption 7 of 7 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rodman's North Korea basketball party Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rodman's North Korea basketball party 02:43 
 
 "Do you understand what he did in this country?" Rodman asked Cuomo. "No, no, no, you tell me, you tell me. Why is he held captive here in this country, why?" 
 
 "I would love to speak on this," Rodman said, before abruptly switching topic to talk about how his fellow basketball players had left their families behind to come to North Korea for the exhibition game. 
 
 Prisoner's family 'appalled' 
 
 Bae's sister, Terri Chung, told Anderson Cooper 360 that Rodman's comments were shocking and outrageous. 
 
 Bae, a married father of three, has suffered a series of health problems during his detention and has been transferred from the labor camp to a hospital. 
 
 His mother, Myunghee Bae, who visited in October, told CNN that her son was a devout Christian who had not understood the system in North Korea. North Korea is officially an atheist state and has said religious activities were among Bae's offenses. 
 
 Chung said Tuesday she was upset because Rodman didn't use his relationship with Kim to help gain her brother's release from the hospital. 
 
 "He was in a position to do some good and to help advocate for Kenneth," she said. "He refused to do so. But then instead he has chosen to hurl these outrageous accusations against Kenneth. He clearly doesn't know anything about Kenneth, about his case. And so we were appalled by that." 
 
 She said her brother was in North Korea legally working as a tour operator when he was arrested in November 2012. She said she hoped one of the former basketball players would take a chance to ask for amnesty for him. 
 
 "This isn't some game. This is about a person's life," she said. 
 
 Rodman 'crossed a line' 
 
 Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also criticized Rodman's comments, telling CNN he was "disappointed" by the former NBA star's performance. 
 
 "I think Dennis Rodman crossed a line this morning by implying that Kenneth Bae might be guilty, by suggesting that there was a crime," said Richardson, who worked to secure the release of an American held in North Korea in 1996. "There is no crime. Kenneth Bae is an American detainee that's been there a year in bad health, who deserves to come home." 
 
 Richardson, a former New Mexico governor who has visited North Korea multiple times, said Rodman "drank a little bit too much of the Kool-Aid from the North Koreans." 
 
 Rodman's comments Tuesday contrast with a request he made on Twitter in May for Kim to "do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose." 
 
 Rodman struck up a friendship with Kim last February, when he first traveled to North Korea with a team of Harlem Globetrotters for an exhibition game that was watched by Kim, who is a basketball fan. 
 
 He has described his series of trips to North Korea as a "basketball diplomacy" project. 
 
 But U.S. government officials have said that they have nothing to do with the visits and that attention should be focused on the brutality of Kim's regime. 
 
 White House spokesman Jay Carney noted that Rodman is on a private trip and that the United States has called for North Korea to release Bae. "Our views about Kenneth Bae have not changed," he said. 
 
 "I did not see some of the comments that Mr. Rodman made, but I am not going to dignify that outburst with a response," Carney added. "I am simply going to say that we remain gravely concerned about Kenneth Bae's health and continue to urge the DPRK authorities to grant his amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds." 
 
 'I love my friend' 
 
 In the interview with Cuomo, Rodman defended the visit to North Korea, saying it was a "great idea for the world." 
 
 He became upset when pressed on whether he and the other players should have traveled there, given recent events in the secretive country. 
 
 The trip takes place weeks after North Korea announced the purge and execution of leader Kim's once-powerful uncle, Jang Song Thaek. 
 
 "I love my friend," Rodman said in a reference to Kim. "This is my friend." 
 
 He praised his companions' willingness to visit North Korea. 
 
 "You know, you've got 10 guys here, 10 guys here, that have left their families, they've left their damn families, to help this country in a sports venture. That's 10 guys, all these guys here, do anyone understand that?" 
 
 "We do," responded Cuomo. "And we appreciate that and we wish them well with cultural exchange." 
 
 "No, no, no, no," Rodman continued. "I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at these guys here, look at them ... they dared to do one thing, they came here." 
 
 Ready for 'the abuse' 
 
 After Rodman's outburst, fellow player Charles D. Smith tried to calm the discussion, but Rodman carried on. 
 
 "You're the guy behind the mic right now," he told Cuomo. "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? Well, we're going to take it." 
 
 Rodman predicted his efforts and those of his fellow athletes would eventually "open the door" to North Korean. 
 
 Smith pointed out that the group comprised not only ex-players, but some 40 other people, including a number of other Americans. 
 
 Smith defended Rodman, saying the players' visit was about basketball, not politics. "We just hope the results are positive, and we think that they'll be positive," he said, noting that the Americans had interacted earlier in the day with their North Korean counterparts, talking through an interpreter. 
 
 North Korea had invited the American players as a kind of "cultural exchange" and to "put smiles on people's faces," not to influence the country's leaders, Smith said. 
 
 "We are here because it's about doing great will around the world," he said. 
 
 'We're not ambassadors' 
 
 Smith outlined the charity projects he has been involved in worldwide through his sport, including visiting typhoon victims in Asia. 
 
 "We're doing what we do, we play basketball and that's what we love to do," Smith said. 
 
 "We did not know that it was going to take this type of a negative spin on what we were doing because we're not politicians, we're not ambassadors. We're here to do what we've been doing most of our lives." 
 
 Smith apologized for "the storm that has been created by our presence." But, he added, "We're not apologizing for doing what we do ... we're connecting people to basketball and people to people." 
 
 He cautioned against "playing semantics" when discussing Rodman's use of the word "friend" in describing his relationship with Kim. 
 
 "It's an associate," he said. "You met someone once, and it's your friend ... you can't meet someone once or twice and take that enduring step." 
 
 Smith added that the players were interested only in using basketball as a bridge to cultural exchange. "None of these guys are here to talk any sense into any politician," he said. 
 
 Darren Prince, Rodman's agent for 16 years, told CNN on Sunday that Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Vin Baker, Craig Hodges, Doug Christie and Smith would play against the North Korean senior national team. 
 
 NBA unimpressed 
 
 The NBA distanced itself Tuesday from Rodman. 
 
 "Dennis will be Dennis, but I think there is a lot at stake here in terms of a ... a very dangerous country," outgoing NBA Commissioner David Stern said on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. 
 
 Stern, commissioner for nearly 30 years, said the league has had preliminary discussions in the past with Pyongyang about a cultural exchange but he wouldn't send any players to North Korea without the OK of the White House. 
 
 Stern said he believed that these former players agreed to the game for a big payday and didn't think about the political ramifications. 
 
 He said that the league didn't sanction the trip or collaborate with Rodman's group. 
 
 "Sports diplomacy is a wonderful thing," he said, mentioning that the NBA has hosted teams from China and Iran. "But they should be done in a far more dignified fashion than this particular trip is being carried out." ||||| Story highlights Dennis Rodman arrives at Beijing airport after leaving North Korea 
 
 The basketball players weren't acting as political liaisons, Charles Smith tells CNN 
 
 In 30-minute interview he says he felt for Dennis Rodman, who put a lot of pressure on himself 
 
 Smith says he didn't know the date of the contest was the birthday of North Korea's leader 
 
 Charles Smith insisted Sunday that the former NBA players who went to North Korea for a basketball diplomacy trip, led by Dennis Rodman, weren't paid by the repressive regime. 
 
 "Absolutely not. I think I am astute enough to understand the dynamics, especially collecting monetary dollars from North Korea. No, we did not get paid from North Korea at all," he told CNN in a lengthy exclusive interview on "New Day Sunday." 
 
 Smith, who retired from the NBA in 1997 after nine seasons, said an Irish online betting company and a documentary film crew paid expenses for the ex-players turned hoops ambassadors. 
 
 Last month the Irish company, Paddy Power, said it had removed its name from Rodman's project after the execution of Kim's uncle and top aide, Jang Song Thaek. But it said it would honor its "contractual commitments" to the team. 
 
 Speaking by satellite from Beijing, Smith said it wasn't about the money. He saw it as an opportunity to go to a reclusive country and exchange cultural information with other athletes and citizens. But he didn't see it as a birthday present for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. 
 
 "That's the date that was set. I didn't know it was his birthday," he said in the half-hour interview. "And it didn't matter to me once I found out that it was his birthday." 
 
 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Former basketball star Dennis Rodman plays one-on-one with a North Korean player during a practice session in Pyongyang, North Korea, on December 20, 2013. Rodman and several other former NBA players have arrived in North Korea to take part in a basketball game on Wednesday, January 8, the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Vin Baker shoots the basketball during a 1998 playoff game in Los Angeles. Baker is one of seven former NBA players taking part in the game in North Korea, according to Rodman's agent, Darren Prince. Baker was a four-time NBA All-Star who averaged 15 points a game during a 13-year career that ended in 2006. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Power forward Charles Smith, dribbling the ball in this photo, played nine NBA seasons after being drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1988. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds during his career. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Craig Hodges played in the NBA for 10 seasons and is most known for winning the league's Three-Point Shootout competition in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Point guard Kenny Anderson was the second overall pick by the New Jersey Nets in 1991, and he would play on seven more teams before his 15-year career ended in 2005. Anderson, a former All-American at Georgia Tech, averaged 12.6 points and 6.1 assists during his NBA career. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Shooting guard Doug Christie played in the NBA for 15 seasons before retiring in 2007. He averaged 11.2 points per game during his career, and he made the NBA's All-Defensive Team on four occasions. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Photos: Former NBA stars in North Korea Former NBA stars in North Korea – Clifford Robinson scored nearly 20,000 points during an NBA career that spanned 18 seasons. Robinson was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 1993, when he played with the Portland Trail Blazers. Hide Caption 7 of 7 
 
 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Dennis Rodman sings "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Wednesday, January 8. In his latest round of "basketball diplomacy," Rodman made his fourth visit to North Korea, one of the world's most totalitarian states, to participate in a basketball game between a team of North Koreans and a team of former NBA players Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Rodman bows to Kim, seated above in the stands, before the basketball game on January 8. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Former NBA star Doug Christie drives to the basket against North Korean players during the exhibition game. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Former NBA star Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, center, sits with fellow American basketball players. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Rodman and Jerry Dupree react to a play during the game. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – North Koreans applaud at the start of the game. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Rodman, right, walks with Dupree, center, and Charles D. Smith during the exhibition game. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Rodman tips his hat as U.S. and North Korean basketball players applaud at the end of the game. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – Christie is handed a trophy as North Korean players applaud at the end of the game. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea Rodman, ex-NBAers play North Korea – U.S. and North Korean basketball players raise their hands to the crowd after the game. Hide Caption 10 of 10 
 
 Smith said he felt for Rodman, who asked for his help organizing the trip and who really seemed to want to pull off a big event. 
 
 "I saw the pressure mount. I saw him change, and it was very difficult keeping him and everyone together (once controversy began over traveling to North Korea)," he said. 
 
 Rodman arrived at Beijing airport on a flight from Pyongyang on Monday morning, the last of the team's players to leave North Korea. 
 
 The players' trip also met with criticism because North Korea still holds Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen who was arrested in November 2012, convicted last spring by Pyonyang of "hostile acts" intended to topple the government, and sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp. Some questioned whether the players would advocate for his release, but they didn't -- at least not publicly. 
 
 "We didn't go there for that. We went there to do what we normally do, and that's to be cross-cultural ambassadors and use the game of basketball as a bridge for exchange," he said. 
 
 Smith said the difference between this trip and other sports exchanges was that the players weren't sent as representatives of the United States. 
 
 "We're athletes doing it ourselves," he said. 
 
 Smith said he has no regrets about going. He said he was able to meet some North Korean citizens and even came across one man who winced before shaking the hand of the first African-American he had ever met. Smith said the man told him they didn't have a very good view of African-Americans. The man rubbed his hand as if the color would come off, Smith said. 
 
 "Then the next day after we talked for a while, he came up to me and said he was sorry," Smith said. 
 
 The former NBA player, who now travels frequently as a basketball ambassador, said he didn't go to any areas where people are hungry. 
 
 Smith also swapped sports stories with North Korea's sports minister and basketball players from the national team. He thinks that will be a positive outcome from the trip. 
 
 "We accomplished a relationship on the sports side in North Korea," he said. "Where it goes from there, I do not know at this point in time. But we established a relationship. They've asked us to come back. Whether we go back or not, I'm not sure. I don't know. But there was a relationship established between a group of individuals in two different countries that don't communicate." ||||| Welcome back to Midweek Madness! Every Wednesday, Kristine Gutierrez heads to the newsstand and snaps up the latest issues of Ok!, In Touch, Life & Style, Us and Star. Then we dine on greasy, chain restaurant-style meals of All-American gossip. This week: Everyone hates Gwyneth Paltrow; Kim Kardashian is having cosmetic procedures while she has a bun in the oven; and Justin Bieber slept with a lady he met at a TGIFridays and nine months later a baby popped out. 
 
 Ok! 
 
 "Katie's New Man" 
 
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 Katie Holmes has a new man: it’s her Mania Days costar Luke Kirby. They have been spending time off set, having dinner and hanging out in each other’s trailers.To prove that Katie and Luke are totally boning with each other’s hearts, Ok! features photos from the FUCKING SET WHERE THEY PLAY A COUPLE IN LOVE. Sleazy, cheap and low. And! This story and this photo are also in In Touch and Star, so it's not "only in Ok!" is In other news, Harry Potter is real because we have pictures to prove that shit. So we all know Rob Pattinson left KStew a few weeks back, but since Farrah Abraham is sort of old news Ok! thought it necessary to add the unnecessary detail of how RPatz sat down with KStew and then shit hit the fan. Like, that was the huge “inside news:” they sat down together to talk. Weak. Also inside: Star Trek’s gratuitous scene of Alice Eve stripping down in her undies, Elin Nordegren accusing Lindsey Vonn of being a PR makeover for Tiger Woods (really?!?!?), and Christina Aguilera lost 25 pounds so she could get Shakira’s abs. One fun thing: The mag tracks David Beckham’s numerous hairstyles throughout his career. It’s a simple reminder that everyone can be subjected to a shitty hair ‘do. 
 
 Grade: F (Old Country Buffet) 
 
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 Life & Style 
 
 "Miranda’s Nights With Another Man!" 
 
 You need to chug a bottle of whisky to remotely tolerate the article about Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton’s rocky fucking marriage! It's unclear whether it would be more stressful to be Miranda or Blake; either way, these fools have to constantly witness the explosive diarrhea that is their matrimonial bond flung on every gossip magazine cover. According to Life & Style, Miranda has been unfaithful to Blake because she has gone on tour with Eric Church and Dierks Bentley (aka CurlyHair McStubble), happens to smile whenever either joins her on stage for a song or hangs out with them. WAIT WHAT. WHISKEY. NOW. Moving on. Amanda Bynes alert: someone thinks that her parents are looking to get their daughter help after her arrest. It’s officially official (probably not): Kim is moving to la France because Kanye wants his family to be more out of the public eye. This magazine thinks that is bad because they would like to pry into their lives as much as possible. Apparently there is “DNA Drama” over January Jones’ child because she won’t reveal the father. She says that it’s “my son’s business… not the public’s business.” WHAT A BITCH. Not. She's allowed to keep some shit private, thank you very much. Jennifer Lopez bought a $10 million house in the Hamptons. Jenny from the block. Lastly: Everyone is on the alkaline diet (Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller), which makes everyone run like the energizer bunny? 
 
 Grade: D- (Denny's) 
 
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 In Touch 
 
 "Plastic Surgery While Pregnant!" 
 
 First: Cruelest, most unflattering photo ever printed? Yeesh. Since the repetitive stories about the difficult relationship between fame-ophile Kim Kardashian and Francophile Kanye West need a break, we get to hear about Kim’s obvious obsession with plastic surgery and other shallow operations to maintain her beauty. There does seem to be some legitimate concern over how things like spray-tanning (and inhaling it), gel wraps at the salon, travelling and heels might affect her pregnancy, but none of those are plastic surgery procedures. Ambiguously mentioning that she has had plastic surgery “over the years” does not prove that she went underwent the same procedures while enceinte. So this is fucking stupid, sensationalist concern-trolling. Next: The mag also uses photos from Katie Holmes’ movie set to try to establish a relationship between her and her costar, Luke Kirby. While the two walk down the streets of NYC holding hands for the camera, the magazine wonders if “it was really just an act?” Seriously? Oh wait, JK, Katie’s costar has a long-term girlfriend. SORRY GUYS, THEY TRICKED YOU. The magazine got the super exclusive when they interviewed Vinny Guadagnino, who is still irrelevant. The momma’s boy is looking for another mom in his life, but a younger, hotter, richer, non-incest-y mom. Since we’re all tired of Kate Middleton preggers news (JK, we never are), next there's a look into the life of a single mother who has a striking resemblance to the duchess. She’s earning as much as $1K/day to look like Kate! Moving on, we get to see stars wearing no make-up. Shocker: They look great, like people, because they are people. We end on a sweet note: Pictures of Romeo Beckham, the 10-year-old son of David and Victoria Beckham that demonstrate that he is a Belieber. (Fig. 1) He has similar swag and style! 
 
 Grade: D (TGIFriday's) 
 
 Us 
 
 "It's Over!" 
 
 Liam Hemsworth is "sick of her drama" and his engagement to Miley Cyrus is off, although apparently they still live together — they are sleeping in separate bedrooms. Miley told a "source": "We're done." The Hemsworth brothers were skeptical of Miley and after she cut her hair — which in this piece is called "acting out" — the "sweet country girl" Liam proposed to disappeared. A source says now "she's basically thugged out." Pause for laughs. Also inside: Jessica Simpson wants to get married a few months after her baby is born; she told a friend: "Let's have this wedding already before I get pregnant with another one!" Kim and Kanye recently spent $4,000 on a Lucite Vetro crib — which happens to be the same kind Blue Ivy has, of course. Next, Christina Aguilera lost 20 pounds by signing up for the Fresh Diet but is "prone" to "stress eating." Join the club. Last, but not least, 88% of random people polled think Robert Pattinson should go out with Jennifer Lawrence next. SparkleVamp, you have your orders. 
 
 Grade: C (IHOP) 
 
 Star 
 
 "Hollywood Turns On Gwyneth!" 
 
 Picture an angry mob with pitchforks and torches, chasing ol' Goop down Sunset Boulevard. Well that is not what's happening. This story consists of "insider" quotes, conjecture and rumor, insisting that producers don't really want to work with GP anymore. There are no direct quotes from these celebs, but sources claim that Madonna wants nothing to do with her, Reese Witherspoon ignores her, Kate Hudson thinks she's elitist, Jennifer Garner thinks she's like a high school mean girl, and Jennifer Lopez has no patience for the "whiny little rich girl." Even Chris Martin wishes his wife would take it down a notch. As for Gwyneth, she is "obsessed with getting Angelina to like her because she knows Angelina has class and power." HA! Rich, coming from the magazine who always claims Saint Angie is wasting away and collapsing and on drugs. Let's move on. Amanda Bynes had sex with some dude for Molly, "but said he had a little dick, so she would never do that again." Taylor Swift feels like she's stuck in a rut and is "in awe" of the way Miley Cyrus switches it up with her clothes and hair. Keep your eye out for Taylor with a gamine hair cut, guys. Anne Hathaway is making everyone on her staff call her Miss Hathaway. And the problem is? Justin Bieber may have fathered a child with a "European woman" he met at a TGIFridays in Miami Beach (sadface). A source says he was 15 when he invited the 25-year-old back to his hotel room; nine months later a tiny low-slung jeans-wearing baby girl popped out. The kid is allegedly 2½ now. This story comes complete with text messages allegedly from Justin, including one that reads, "our little secret?" Real? Or page from the script of Pretty Little Liars? You be the judge. (Fig. 2) Brandon Andreen, one of the poor showponies being paraded around for Des on The Bachelorette, is a "lunkhead" who phoned in a bomb scare to an automobile factory in 2005. He was charged wih a felony count but argued he was "kidding." Last, but not least, Jim Toth's ex-girlfriend tells the magazine that she's not surprised he was busted for drunk driving, because he was always a "slimy" drunk and "manipulative snake" who drunk-dialed her all the time. Best wishes to Reese Witherspoon, though! 
 
 Grade: C+ (Red Lobster) 
 
 Addendum 
 
 Fig. 1, from In Touch 
 
 Fig. 2, from Star
– Dennis Rodman certainly thinks he's influential, but GQ disagrees. The basketball star and self-styled North Korea ambassador is the No. 1 entry on the magazine's annual list of the 25 Least Influential People. Rodman "was the first prominent American celebrity invited inside the nation-sized prison that is North Korea, and he did literally the least interesting thing possible with it," writes Drew Magary. The rest of the top (bottom?) 10: Paula Deen: She's proved herself to be exactly like what you probably always thought she was like. Anthony Weiner: All that public humiliation, and he didn't even have any actual, real-life sex. Justin Bieber: He's now officially too old to be peeing in buckets and making light of Anne Frank. Pope Benedict: The new pope is just way better, and nobody misses this guy. Miley Cyrus: She "spent the entire year foam-finger-blasting herself, licking sledgehammers, and basically trying every inane strategy she could think of to rile up America's few remaining pearl clutchers." Aaron Hernandez: Uh, star athletes who came from tough backgrounds are supposed to act like thugs, not actually be thugs. Prince George: The royal baby got a lot of attention, but when you look at him, he's pretty much just a normal baby. Angela Corey: The prosecutor in the George Zimmerman case failed us all. The Smith family: As in Will, Jada, and the kids. "In just a few years, Will Smith has gone from one of America's most beloved stars to one of its most despicable." Click for the complete list.