(CNN) -- Eccentric former basketball star Dennis Rodman may not have brought imprisoned American Kenneth Bae back with him from North Korea, but he did emerge with something to announce.
Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman arrives at North Korea's Pyongyang airport on Tuesday, September 3, on his second trip to the reclusive, nuclear-armed nation this year. Rodman has since returned from the communist country, announcing he will put together a "basketball diplomacy" event with players from North Korea. But he put a damper on any speculation he might have been trying to free imprisoned American Kenneth Bae.
Dennis Rodman's trips to North Korea
Former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman speaks at a press conference at the Soho Grand Hotel in New York on Monday, September 9.
Dennis Rodman conference
Along with representatives from Paddy Power, an online betting company, he will put together a "basketball diplomacy" event involving players from North Korea, he said Monday.
At a news conference, he called Kim Jong Un, ruler of the repressive state, a "very good guy."
Rodman also set tongues wagging over the weekend by leaking the purported name of Kim's baby daughter.
Returning from his second trip to the reclusive, nuclear-armed nation, Rodman gave an interview Sunday with The Guardian, a British newspaper, in which he described the "relaxing time by the sea" he spent with Kim and his family.
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'A good dad'
The personal life of Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, is shrouded in secrecy. Even his exact age remains unconfirmed by outsiders. (He is believed to be in his early 30s.)
Speculation sprang up last year that Ri might be pregnant after a photo carried by state media showed her wearing a long coat that could have been hiding a bump. But North Korean authorities kept quiet about the matter.
The flamboyant Rodman, 52, shed more light on the situation in his Guardian interview, including the daughter's name.
"I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with Ms. Ri as well," he told the newspaper.
He described Kim, who sits atop one of the world's most repressive regimes, as "a good dad."
Ruling dynasty
The Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea for three generations. Kim Jong Un follows his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
The regime has pursued the development of nuclear weapons while millions of its subjects have been left impoverished and malnourished.
It's a little early to start speculating whether Ju Ae is a likely heir to her father, said Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in South Korea.
Lankov, the author of the recent book "The Real North Korea," said the question of succession was unlikely to arise for at least another 30 years, assuming Kim Jong Un remains healthy.
"And I don't believe the North Korean monarchy is going to last another 30 years," he said. If it does, Kim and Ri are young enough to have several other children in the meantime.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they have five more," he said.
A big announcement?
Rodman has so far made no mention on his Twitter account of his bonding time with the Kim family.
But he suggested late Sunday something was afoot.
"Just returned from North Korea. HUGE announcement tomorrow morning in NYC," he said in a post.
It was unclear what he was specifically referring to. The Guardian reported on his plans to organize a basketball game between American and Korean teams.
American still imprisoned
Rodman had already poured cold water on speculation he might have been trying to secure the release of Bae, the U.S. citizen serving a 15-year sentence of hard labor in North Korea.
"It is not my job to talk about Kenneth Bae," he told reporters at the Beijing airport on Saturday.
"Ask Obama about that, ask Hillary Clinton about that," Rodman said. "Ask those ---holes."
Rodman had previously made no secret about his desire to help Bae, who has been transferred to a hospital after his health deteriorated. The retired NBA player once tweeted that he wanted Kim to "do him a solid" by freeing the American prisoner.
But Rodman's friendship with Kim, an avid basketball fan, doesn't appear to carry enough weight to get Bae out of jail.
U.S. officials have repeatedly called on North Korean officials to release Bae, who was convicted earlier this year of attempting to bring down the government. Pyongyang last month abruptly withdrew an invitation to a U.S. envoy who was to travel there to try to secure Bae's release.
Previous criticism
Rodman was criticized over his first visit to North Korea, in February, during which he was pictured laughing and eating while watching a basketball game with Kim.
That visit came during a period of escalating tensions in which North Korea threatened missile strikes on the United States and South Korea. The situation has gradually calmed over recent months.
In his comments to The Guardian on Sunday, Rodman, one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, continued to defend the North's young leader.
"Kim is a great guy, he loves basketball, and he's interested in building trust and understanding through sport and cultural exchanges," he said.
CNN's K.J. Kwon contributed to this report.
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Son Kwang Ho, vice chairman of North Korea's Olympic Committee, greets Rodman at the Pyongyang airport on September 3.
The retired NBA star faced criticism over his February visit to see the ruler of the repressive state. That trip came during a period of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Airport staff take pictures of the former NBA star at a check-in counter at China's Beijing Capital International Airport on September 3 while he was heading to North Korea.
Rodman rides to the Pyongyang airport on September 7 after his five-day trip to North Korea.
Rodman shows a photo of himself with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he arrives at the Beijing airport on September 7 on his return from North Korea. At a news conference Monday, September 9, he called Kim a "very good guy."
Rodman shows photos of himself with Kim while talking to journalists at the Beijing airport on September 7. In a later interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, the ex-basketball star leaked the purported name of Kim's baby daughter.
Rodman faces questions about detained American Bae at the Beijing airport on September 7. "It is not my job to talk about Kenneth Bae," he told reporters.
On an earlier visit, Rodman and Kim watch a basketball game together in this image released by HBO for an episode of the documentary series "Vice" which aired in June.
Rodman walks by the base of the Tower of the Juche Idea in Pyongyang in March 2013, in this image released by the Korean Central News Agency.
Rodman and Kim share a toast in North Korea in February.
The former NBA player speaks about the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's baby daughter, and the future of the dynasty that has ruled the isolated and impoverished state for three generations.
Addressing comments to President Obama, Rodman asks why Obama is afraid to talk to him. "You're not afraid to talk to Beyonce and Jay-Z, why not me?"
"Just meet (Kim Jong Un), or even give him a call," Rodman said, addressing his comments to President Obama. "That's all he wants."
Rodman announced plans to stage two exhibition games in North Korea in January. He plans on going back to North Korea, and said he will bring a team of former NBA players with him.
Rodman described Kim, who sits atop one of the world's most repressive regimes, as "a good dad." Rodman said he learned the name of the North Korean leader's daughter, Ju Ae, and even said he held her during his second visit to the isolated country.
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