American basketball players led by former NBA Hall of Fame member Dennis Rodman have trained with young players of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Former NBA stars including Charles D. Smith, Doug Christie, and Vin Baker shook hands with some enthusiastic locals before moving on to the court at the Pyongyang Indoor Gymnasium.

 

Dennis Rodman cheers after a fellow U.S. basketball player makes a jump shot during a practice session with North Korean players in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014.

Rodman’s team is expected to play a friendly match with a DPRK side on Wednesday. Organisers said that in the first half of the match, the Americans will face the DPRK players, and then for the second half, the teams will be mixed.

The DPRK players were selected from various local sides and were not representative of the national team. Rodman, who is on his fourth visit to the DPRK, says that his match is intended as a birthday present for DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

Dennis Rodman huddles with North Korean basketball players and fellow former NBA stars at a practice session in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014.