Dennis Rodman defends himself

Controversial NBA player Dennis Rodman sparks another controversy on Tuesday when he blamed Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae for his own condition.

In an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, the 52-year-old former U.S. basketball star said, “If you understand what Kenneth Bae did.” Then questioning Cuomo he said, “Do you understand what he did in this country? No, no, no, you tell me, you tell me. Why is he held captive here in this country, why?”

Kenneth Bae was arrested in North Korea in November 2012 and was convicted on May 2013 on charges of crimes against the state.

Reacting to Rodman’s comments Bae’s family said it was shocking and outrageous.

“He was in a position to do some good and to help advocate for Kenneth. 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,” Bae’s sister Terri Chung told Anderson Cooper 360.

“This isn’t some game. This is about a person’s life – father of three, a son and a brother and a husband,” Chung said. Dennis Rodman, he’s not a diplomat. He says so himself and he’s definitely not in a position to pass judgment on Kenneth Bae,” Chung added.

Meanwhile White House spokesman Jay Carney refused to comment on Rodman.

“I’m not going to dignify that outburst with a response. I’m simply going to say that we remain gravely concerned about Kenneth Bae’s health, and continue to urge DPRK authorities to grant his amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds,” Carney said.

Facing criticism in his own country for his trips to North Korea, Rodman has tried to defend himself.  

“This is not about me. If I can open the door a little bit, just a little bit, It’s all about the game. People love to do one thing – sports,” Rodman said.

“It’s amazing how we thrive on negativity,” former Chicago Bulls star told on criticism.

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