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PYONGYANG, North Korea – Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star turned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was he placed on the bench of legend of the Chinese hoop Yao Ming?
The former Houston Rockets center and eight-time NBA star appeared Tuesday in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, while Chinese and North Korean basketball players held a friendly match in the part of a high-level sports exchange between the two countries to help unfreeze the ties that had been cold over the past year.
The ruling party's top officials came to the match, but Kim, who had been famous for his song with Rodman's birthday song in Pyongyang in January 2014, did not participate.
On the pitch, Chinese basketball players heading to Pyongyang this week mixed with North Korean players to form two teams, called "Friendship" and "Unity".
The Unity team won the match, 107 to 106.
Yao Ming, dominating everyone in the stadium, congratulated the players at the end of the match.
"Today's friendly will be a demonstration of the best basketball skills and sportsmanship of all players in both countries," said Kim Il Guk, North Korea's Sports Minister, before the start of the tournament. match.
After a period of icy relations, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been to China three times this year and the traditional proclamations of friendship between the two neighbors have been resurrected.
Speculation continues as to whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea in return.
Yao Ming, one of the biggest players in the NBA, is at the head of the Chinese Basketball Association, 2.29 meters.
He arrived on Monday with a high-level delegation including the Chinese equivalent of a sports minister.
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