What's the harm in a simple phone call?
In the strange theater of modern diplomacy, Dennis Rodman — NBA champion, unlikely envoy — has long occupied a singular position: the only American with a sustained personal relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Among the details Rodman has shared over the years is a quietly revealing one: Kim reportedly sought nothing more dramatic than a phone call with Barack Obama about basketball, a gesture the former president declined. It is a small, almost absurd footnote in the history of U.S.–North Korea relations, yet it raises an enduring question about whether informal human connection might sometimes reach where formal statecraft cannot.
- A basketball legend turned accidental diplomat claims the door to dialogue was left unopened — Kim Jong Un allegedly wanted only a conversation about the sport, not a confrontation.
- Obama's refusal to engage, despite being a lifelong basketball devotee and fan of the very Bulls team Rodman helped define, sharpened the irony and the missed-connection quality of the moment.
- Rodman has weathered death threats and public ridicule for maintaining the friendship, yet he continues to press the case that personal rapport can defuse what political machinery has failed to resolve.
- The account lingers as an unanswered provocation: if a phone call about jump shots could have cracked open a channel between Washington and Pyongyang, what was truly at stake in saying no?
Dennis Rodman's relationship with Kim Jong Un began in 2013, when the NBA legend traveled to North Korea for an exhibition game at the invitation of the country's Olympic committee. The visit ignited controversy at home. Appearing on live television, an emotional Rodman explained that his team had not known the event was tied to Kim's birthday celebration, and he warned that they would face harsh judgment upon returning to the United States. He bore that judgment — and kept going back.
Over the years, Rodman has shared details of his ongoing conversations with the North Korean leader, including one claim that stands apart for its almost disarming simplicity: Kim Jong Un wanted a phone call with Barack Obama — not to issue threats or negotiate terms, but to talk basketball. "His whole deal is to talk basketball with Obama," Rodman said publicly. "Unfortunately, Obama doesn't want to have anything to do with him." Rodman appealed directly to the former president, asking what harm a single phone call could do. The appeal went unanswered.
The irony was not lost on observers. Obama was a devoted basketball fan and a supporter of the Chicago Bulls — the franchise Rodman had helped carry to three consecutive championships. Yet the overture was declined. Rodman has also pushed back against the most severe portrayals of Kim, noting that despite inflammatory rhetoric, the leader has not acted on military threats against South Korea or the United States. "All I know is Kim told me he doesn't want to go to war with America," Rodman has said. He has received death threats for his willingness to say so, but he remains committed to the belief that sports and personal connection might open doors that diplomacy alone has not.
Dennis Rodman has spent years cultivating an unlikely friendship with Kim Jong Un, a relationship that began in 2013 when the NBA legend traveled to North Korea to play in an exhibition basketball game. The trip sparked immediate controversy back home. Rodman appeared on live television alongside his team to explain the visit, describing it as an invitation from North Korea's Olympic committee to participate in a game. The team acknowledged reports that the event doubled as a birthday celebration for the North Korean leader, though they maintained they had not been aware of that detail when accepting the invitation. An emotional Rodman told viewers he could not answer every question about the trip because of safety concerns for his team, and he warned that they would face abuse upon returning to the United States for having gone.
Yet Rodman was undeterred. He suggested the visit might open diplomatic channels between the two nations, a prediction that seemed to gain credence years later when former President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un held their historic summit. The basketball player has since spoken publicly about his ongoing relationship with the North Korean leader, and he has disclosed various details about conversations they have had.
In one notable revelation, Rodman claimed that Kim Jong Un had made a simple request through him: a phone call with then-President Barack Obama to discuss basketball. According to Rodman's account, the North Korean leader wanted to use the sport as a bridge to dialogue with the United States. "His whole deal is to talk basketball with Obama," Rodman said in a television appearance. "Unfortunately, Obama doesn't want to have anything to do with him."
Rodman pressed the point publicly, appealing directly to the former president. "I ask, Mr. President, what's the harm in a simple phone call?" he said. "This is a new age, man." The request went nowhere. Obama, despite being a devoted basketball fan and longtime supporter of the Chicago Bulls—the very team Rodman had anchored during its second three-peat championship run—chose not to engage with the overture.
Rodman has also defended Kim Jong Un against the harshest characterizations, noting that despite threats the North Korean leader has made, he has not followed through on military action against South Korea, Hawaii, or other targets. "All I know is Kim told me he doesn't want to go to war with America," Rodman said. He has received death threats himself for his willingness to maintain the relationship and speak on the leader's behalf, but he has remained committed to the friendship and to the possibility that informal sports diplomacy might accomplish what traditional channels have not.
Notable Quotes
His whole deal is to talk basketball with Obama. Unfortunately, Obama doesn't want to have anything to do with him.— Dennis Rodman, on Kim Jong Un's request
I ask, Mr. President, what's the harm in a simple phone call? This is a new age, man.— Dennis Rodman, appealing to Obama
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why do you think Kim Jong Un wanted to talk basketball with Obama specifically?
I think it was a way to open a door without the weight of formal diplomacy. Basketball is something they both understood. It's neutral ground.
And Obama refused?
He did. Rodman couldn't understand it—he kept asking what harm a phone call would do. But for Obama, accepting might have looked like legitimacy he wasn't willing to grant.
Do you think it would have changed anything if they'd talked?
Honestly, I don't know. But Rodman believed it could have. He saw the sport as a bridge when everything else was a wall.
What's the cost to Rodman for maintaining this friendship?
Death threats. Abuse when he comes home. Being called a traitor by some. But he's stayed loyal to Kim Jong Un anyway.
Why?
Because he believes in the relationship. Because he thinks he's the only American who can talk to him. Because maybe he's right.