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LONDON -- While critical of Dennis Rodmans trips to North Korea, incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the former all-star also helped raise awareness of leader Kim Jong Uns "repressive regime. Matt Garza Brewers Jersey ." Rodman took a group of retired NBA players to the pariah state this month to play a game as a gift for Kim, a move criticized by some members of the U.S. Congress, human rights groups and the NBA. Rodman, the highest-profile American to meet Kim, has stressed he is not a statesman and is only seeking to build cultural ties between Pyongyang and Washington through basketball. But the 52-year-old Rodman has been denounced for not trying to use his influence with Kim to secure the release of Kenneth Bae, an American missionary with health problems who is being held in North Korea on charges of "anti-state" crimes. Although Rodman has been accused of becoming a public relations tool for North Koreas government, Silver regards the publicity from the trips helping to shine a light on a country with a poor human rights record. "As negative as that trip was in so many ways it also brought attention to a critical issue in North Korea that ... most Americans hadnt focused on at all in terms of a repressive regime," Silver said on Thursday in London ahead of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks. At the start of the Jan. 8 game in Pyongyang, Rodman sang "Happy Birthday" to Kim, who was seated at the stadium, and bowed deeply as North Korean players clapped. Silver, who succeeds David Stern as commissioner on Feb. 1, said the NBA persuaded some former players not to participate in the game. "We did talk directly with certain other players who decided not to go," Silver said after appearing at a meeting organized by the Sport Industry Group. "In terms of any damage done to the NBA, we dont think there was any damage done to the NBA ... the fact basketball happens to be very popular in North Korea I dont think is a negative for our league. "And it just demonstrates that its not just basketball but all sports bring tremendous opportunities." And, with the Nets owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov, the NBA is looking beyond the U.S. for more investment in franchises. Stern said there are discussions with investors from China, Latin America and the Middle East, in particular those in oil-rich United Arab Emirates whose "connection to the governing families is quite close." Efforts to grow the NBA beyond U.S. shores in Britain have been limited, despite Thursdays regular-season game at the O2 Arena being the fourth in four years at the venue. While acknowledging that "football is king" in England, the NBA feels that its efforts to intensify interest have not been matched by a commitment from the government and local groups to promote the game and build facilities. Silver described the club infrastructure as being "not on a par" with other basketball nations. "We would have thought there would have been more growth," Silver said. "For whatever reason basketball hasnt caught on here," he added. "And I think there has been an absence of leadership and we have to fill the vacuum." Having expected a strong basketball legacy from the 2012 London Olympics, the NBA was disappointed the chance was not grasped. "I would say lost opportunity rather than wasted opportunity -- every government has their priorities but given how popular a venue (basketball) was during the Olympics, it should have been the launching pad for additional things happening," Silver said. "There are all kinds of reasons why governments should be getting behind the sport." Stern went further, saying: "I know the debate about physical activity in schools, but if you shut down the gyms you cant have basketball games." Ryan Braun Jersey . The team of Lars Nelson, Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and anchor Marcus Hellner cruised to victory in the 4x10 km event, winning in a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 42. Orlando Arcia Brewers Jersey . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. http://www.baseballbrewersofficial.com/customized-c-4/ .FIFA says it is relaxing the rule which forced match officials to leave its international list at the end of the year they turned 45.LUCERNE, Switzerland - Star forward Xherdan Shaqiri scored a rare right-footed goal to help Switzerland beat Peru 2-0 in its final World Cup warm-up match on Tuesday. The Bayern Munich winger struck in the 84th minute, finishing smartly after taking a long through pass in his stride. Switzerland right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner headed the opening goal in the 78th from left-back Ricardo Rodriguezs cross. The slow-starting Swiss played their best football near the end, following the same pattern as their 1-0 win against Jamaica last Friday. Coach Ottmar Hitzfelds team leaves for Brazil on Friday with just one loss in 18 matches over the past two years. That was a 2-1 defeat against World Cup-bound South Korea last November. Switzerland opens its Group E campaign against Ecuador on June 15 in Brasilia. It tthen plays France in Salvador and Honduras in Manaus. Wily Peralta Jersey. . In a testy first half, Peru pair Luis Ramirez and Paolo Hurtado were both booked after incidents with Swiss captain Gokhan Inler. Hurtado threatened in the 41st, exploiting a big hole in the Swiss defence to fire a curling shot that goalkeeper Diego Benaglio dived to tip beyond his left-hand post. Shaqiri was the only one of Hitzfelds likely World Cup starting 11 who began on the bench Tuesday, and his introduction in the 64th was key to changing the game. His sweeping pass found Rodriguez, whose floated ball into the goalmouth found Lichtsteiner rising to meet it with a header high into the top-right corner. Six minutes later, Inlers long pass released Shaqiri to poke a shot through the legs of goalkeeper George Forsyth. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '