Dennis Rodman heading back to North Korea for an exhibition basketball tour

Dennis Rodman has proven his strong ties with North Korea and it looks like he's gearing up for yet another trip but this time, Rodman is going for an exhibition basketball tour there late next month.

During an interview with the Associated Press, Rodman dodged questions on the purposes of the trip. He refused to say whether the visit would be used for propaganda purposes by Kim Jong Un but he did mention that he'll be accompanied on the trip by a dozen or so former NBA players. However, Rodman didn't name drop.

Rodman told the AP:

"I have seven people right now. I talked to a couple of guys last week. Lot of guys are saying, 'OK, great. I'll go. We'll go.' But I'm not saying this to get people to go over there to prove a point - 'OK, great, let's go over there and make a difference.'

The former NBA star is a self-appointed ambassador and friend of Kim. In recent months, Rodman has made several trips to North Korea.

He insists that his upcoming trip is in his own doing and that he wouldn't talk about his relationship with Kim or North Korean politics.

"Like I told you, this is not all about trying to create this major buzz," Rodman said. "Because I don't want my friend to sit there and say I been doing this all along to slip in some information on him. I don't want that. That's why I'm not doing that. We're friends and that's it."

Wonder who he's taking on the trip with him. What do you think of Dennis Rodman's relationship with North Korea?