Intro:

Dennis Rodman said that he was happy to be returning to North Korea, where he will lead a team of former NBA players in an exhibition game to mark leader Kim Jong Un's birthday.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Dennis Rodman, Former NBA player:

(Reporter: "Can you tell us why you decided to go ahead with this despite all the opposition to it?")

"I don't do it, guess what it is - a lot of people want to think this is about self-preservation or something like that, and the motivation for me to be famous. It's not about that brother. It's not about that. It's about doing one thing. It's about trying to connect two countries together in the world, to let people know that: do you know what? Not every country in the world is that bad, especially North Korea. And people say so many negative things about North Korea. And I want people in the world to see it's not that bad."

(Reporter: "I've got to ask you know recently, they say, he (North Korean leader Kim Jong Un) had his uncle executed, I mean doesn't something like that worry you?")

"Well, you know, I've had my life in danger so many times, in America, around the world, and stuff like that. Since I've been coming to North Korea, a lot of people in America have been sending me a lot of death threats and stuff like that. But I don't hear them. It's not about that. It's about the people. Somehow we have to get along, and no matter what disagreements or what discrepancy we have in life. It's like saying: 'Why do we have the Olympics?' When everyone one comes together in the Olympics, there's no problems. That's what I'm doing. That's all I'm doing."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Dennis Rodman, Former NBA player:

"I'm always happy to go back there, you know. People would say that North Korea is like a purely Communist country, that people are not allowed to go there. As a matter of fact, to me he (referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un) is a nice guy to me. Whatever he does political-wise, that's not my job, you know. My job is to entertain the people and make sure that the people in the country are very happy and cool, that's it."