Dennis Rodman Leaves Rehab, Insists He’s ‘Not An Alcoholic’

Dennis Rodman just got out of a stint of rehab, but the former NBA star insists that he’s not an alcoholic.

After a high-profile series of trips to North Korea, Rodman has come under a wave of public criticism and pressure. Rodman said he entered rehab to re-evaluate his life, not for treatment for alcohoilsm.

“I needed to decompress from all the things I was going through,” Rodman said Friday by phone from Miami. “I was trying to get this game going and get everything going in North Korea.

“I don’t need to drink,” Rodman said. “I don’t need to do anything. I went to rehab just to sort things out. That’s it.”

Rodman insisted that he doesn’t drink every day, and has no consistent problem with alcohol.

“I’m not an alcoholic,” he said. “An alcoholic drinks seven days a week. I don’t drink seven days a week. When I drink, I don’t hurt nobody, I don’t have no DUIs, nothing like that.”

Rodman got himself into a bit of trouble last month when he made disparaging comments about an American detainee in North Korea. The former Chicago Bull’s agent, Darren Prince, said the pressure of a high-profile trip to North Korea was difficult for Rodman to handle.

“What was potentially a historic and monumental event turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned,” he said. “Dennis Rodman came back from North Korea in pretty rough shape emotionally. The pressure that was put on him to be a combination ‘super human’ political figure and ‘fixer’ got the better of him.”

Dennis Rodman has come under widespread criticism for his visits to North Korea and friendship with controversial leader Kim Jong Un. Price stressed that Rodman is not some kind of diplomat, but simply a retired athlete.

“People forget Dennis is just an entertainer and retired NBA star,” Prince said about Dennis Rodman‘s decision to go to North Korea again. “The fact remains that a basketball game was played in North Korea live in front of 14,000 people and hundreds of millions around the world viewed clips of the game.”

The 52-year-old Dennis Rodman has also defended his trips to North Korea, saying an exhibition basketball game on Kim Jong Un’s birthday was “a great idea for the world.”