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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

North Korean Ri Defects 7-Foot-9 Basketball Player Hopes To Attract Interest From Nba Teams

Bloomberg News

One of North Korea’s top basketball players defected to Canada, where he will seek asylum and try to play for a National Basketball Association team, Agence France Presse reported.

Ri Myong-Hun was staying at a hotel in Ottawa under the supervision of Jack Donohue, the former Canadian national team coach, AFP reported, citing a spokesman for the Canadian Immigration Ministry. The ministry, closed for the Victoria Day holiday, couldn’t be reached to comment.

Donohue, speaking Sunday on Canadian Television Network, said the 7-foot-9 Ri would seek political asylum in Canada with the intention of signing with an NBA team.

The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., reported the U.S. State Department sent a memo to the NBA instructing its teams not to attempt to negotiate with Ri. It didn’t cite the source of its information.