Former NBA player heads to rehab for alcoholism.
Basketball diplomacy is taking its toll on Dennis Rodman. The former NBA player has checked into rehab for alcoholism following an ill-fated trip to North Korea, where he and other retired players put on an exhibition game for the country's dictator, Kim Jong-un.
Rodman angered many people when he seemed to defend the dictator's incarceration of U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American who was working legally as a tour operator when he was detained without cause. Now, the controversial athlete claims his alcohol-fueled meltdown on CNN was the result of being plied with booze by members of the North Korean government.
A source tells TMZ that Rodman was coerced with a steady stream of alcohol from the moment he landed in North Korea. The basketball legend, who has since apologized to Bae's family and others he offended with his comments, has a long history of substance abuse.
