Kim Jong Il’s Son and Likely Successor, Kim Jong Un, Loves Michael Jordan and Basketball

December 2011 may go down in history as the most eventful of Kim Jong Un‘s life. Not only is he expected to rise to power in North Korea this month, but his beloved NBA basketball will resume after more than a five-month layoff.

Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, has reportedly died after ruling the country since 1994. There is uncertainty what will happen to the country without its dictator, and whether Kim Jong Un or the military will seize power.

One thing seems certain, though: On Dec. 25, King Jong Un, like NBA fans everywhere, will be glued to the TV set. A childhood friend of Kim Jong Un told CNN that the potential future despot loved playing basketball, cheered for Michael Jordan, played basketball video games nonstop on his PlayStation.

“The whole world for him was just basketball all the time,” Joao Micaelo told CNN.

Now, he might have to replace his basketball jones with nuclear weapons jones, which would be a shame. Still, there is good news from his old friend.

“I can just say what I know, Micaelo said, according to CNN. “When he was 16, he was a good guy, so I don’t think he would do something bad.”

Well, that’s nice to hear.

Photo of the day

With fans like this, who needs enemies?

AP file photos

Quote of the day

“I could care less about [coming back to play]. The fact that he could live and all that is far more important. That’s basically what I conveyed to him: ‘Don’t look at this as a negative. This is an extreme positive. You’re going to be OK, and that’s good.'”
— Celtics coach Doc Rivers relaying his message to Jeff Green, who will undergo season-ending heart surgery

Tweet of the day

It’s just “JoePa,” not “Joe P.A.” Can someone tell this to the TV news networks, too?