The company that agreed to foot Dennis Rodman's bills for his North Korea "basketball diplomacy" trip has backed out of the deal.
Online gambling site Paddy Power released a statement by email obtained by the Los Angeles Times on Monday, detailing its decision to sever ties with Rodman's exhibition game in Pyongyang, scheduled for Jan. 8, the same day as leader Kim Jong-Un's birthday.
The company, which has sponsored Rodman's trips to the DPRK thus far, said that it would no longer be associated with Rodman's game plans - to host a match between 11 ex-NBA players and a local North Korean team - due to "changed circumstances."
"With a bit of hindsight we realized we just got this one wrong," site founder David Power's son Paddy told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. "It's the Dennis Rodman gig now."
Power added that the change in plans stemmed from "worldwide scrutiny of the North Korean regime that wasn't there before recent events."
News from Pyongyang surfaced earlier this month that Kim had ordered for his uncle and prominent political figure Jang Song Thaek to be executed due to "anti-state, counterrevolutionary actions," along with accusations of excessive drug use and gambling.
The Associated Press reported soon after that Rodman's agent confirmed the game will still happen.
"Dennis is very appreciative of Paddy Power's support up to this point for this historic game of basketball diplomacy taking place on Jan. 8," Darren Prince stated. "He looks forward to announcing later this week the 11 former players accompanying him on the trip next month."
Dennis Rodman left North Korea on Monday, after arriving for the first round of game tryouts last week. He didn't give word on whether he'd met with Kim during his stay in Pyongyang.
