‘I know a thing or two about diplomacy’: Dennis Rodman wants to help the NBA solve its China problem

Always eccentric NBA legend Dennis Rodman thinks he may be the key to helping the NBA build bridges with China after a week of fighting over the anti-free speech communist nation’s influence on American companies with which it does business.

The 58-year-old Rodman tweeted a video of himself Wednesday morning reminding the world of his diplomatic resume with North Korea and Kim Jong-un.

In the video, Rodman wore a red Make America Great Again baseball cap while holding a picture he took with his North Korean ‘buddy’ in one hand and a photo he took with President Donald Trump in the other.

‘Commissioner Adam Silver, I know a thing or two about diplomacy’ the Hall-of-Famer said during the clip.

Rodman held a picture of himself with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to remind everyone of how he once worked to improve America’s relationship with the southeast nation

‘Book me a ticket to Shanghai with you. Ambassador Rodman,’ he added as the clip came to an end.

Silver and the NBA have been at loggerheads with China since Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s viral October 4 tweet voicing his support for Hong Kong protesters demonstrating against the southeast Asian nation’s control over their quasi-autonomous region.

Morey tweeted a graphic that said, ‘FIGHT FOR FREEDOM STAND WITH HONG KONG,’ before deleting the post less than a day later after it ignited an international firestorm.

Chinese censors responded by forcing vendors in the country to take Houston Rockets merchandise off their shelves and scrubbing the slightest mention of the team from its heavily-regulated internet, news, and television providers.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (right) and his league have struggled to mend fences with China since Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s viral October 4 tweet voicing his support for Hong Kong protesters demonstrating against the southeast Asian nation’s control over their quasi-autonomous region

The NBA has cultivated a $4 billion business relationship with China, its most valuable market outside of the U.S., to broadcast NBA games and sell licensed merchandise over the course of the last decade, according to Quartz.  

The league issued a statement on Monday apologizing to China’s government.

‘We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable,’ NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said.  

Many Americans have characterized the league’s response as a cowardly and hypocritical move prioritizing money over human rights and freedoms.

Rodman sought to remind Silver of his own experience managing relationships between America and another communist nation.

He and Jong-un began bonding over basketball and karaoke back in February of 2013 when America was working to convince North Korea to spike its developing nuclear program.

Rodman credits himself with reducing tensions between the U.S. and the Hermit Kingdom and setting the stage for Trump to become the first sitting American president to travel to North Korea, which still hasn’t given up its nukes.

‘Without me, Donald Trump would have never did that,’ Rodman told Page Six in January.