North Korea Reportedly Wanted ‘Famous’ NBA Players As Part Of A Denuclearization Deal With America

Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly asked the United States to send over “famous basketball players” as part of a “cultural exchange” between the two countries as they attempted to craft a denuclearization agreement, per an ABC News report.

The deal never came to fruition after Donald Trump walked away from talks after refusing to acquiesce to Un’s request for sanctions relief.

From the report:

‘The request was made in writing, officials said, as part of the cultural exchange between the two countries, and at one point the North Koreans insisted that it be included in the joint statement on denuclearization. The North Koreans also made a request for the exchange of orchestras between the two countries.

“While we did not reach an agreement with the DPRK [North Korea] at Hanoi, we exchanged detailed positions and narrowed the gap on a number of issues,” a State Department official told ABC News in a statement and declined to comment on ongoing conversations.’

It’s widely known that Kim Jong Un has a relationship with Dennis Rodman, after the Hall of Famer visited North Korea in 2013.