Dennis Rodman, Purveyor of Weird, Rides in Popemobile While Clinging to Fame

Dennis Rodman would very much like your attention. 

The man who so brilliantly brought down rebounds during his remarkable NBA career quickly turned into a basketball sideshow by the end of it. 

It seems Rodman is willing to go back to what made him a celebrity in the first place. He is going to dive into the realm of the bizarre—and he is going to make sure to make this particular dive a cannonball. 

The 51-year-old was in Rome during the recent conclave to elect a new pope—one that recently selected Cardinal Jose Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as the new pontiff. 

In case you were looking for him, Rodman updated the world via Twitter. 

Not content to merely bump around and give random interviews, the former Bulls star was on his way to Rome with a plan.

As TMZ reported, the man who recently became besties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was about to hop on a plane in order to get close to the new pope as well as ride around in the Popemobile. 

Mission somewhat accomplished. 

Here are a couple of images taken by ABC News' Marci Gonzalez. 

Yes, for some odd reason, Dennis Rodman is going to be a part of every major international story, and we are just going to have to get used to it. 

If you are wondering what it is the self-appointed ambassador is wearing, here is a closer look thanks to NBC's Mary Ann Ahern. 

So if having a retired basketball player traipse around the world as some harbinger of change wasn't odd enough, we now have debate for the worst coat worn this month. Oh, and the leading candidates are worn by the same man.

Here is what Rodman wore on This Week as he was taken to task by host George Stephanopoulos over his new North Korean buddy.  

If you are wondering, money coat beats flower coat by a slim margin. Not that it matters, because we assume Russell Westbrook is on the phone with Rodman at the moment to ask where he bought them. 

All of this has me checking my calendar to make sure the year is indeed 2013. Rodman is dominating the news and making odd sartorial choices while doing it. 

Wasn't it enough for him to dominate headlines with silly pop culture tedium back in the '90s? We already lived through his Carmen Electra phase, WCW stints and the ongoing need to change his hair color. 

I just assumed we were over this guy by now. 

Make no mistake, Rodman understands that his best chance to stay in the public eye is to photobomb us all in front of cameras trying valiantly to report world news without him. 

With North Korea and the announcement of a new pope behind him, I can imagine Rodman will be near an airport for the next few weeks waiting for the next great international story. 

From there, he will put on a silly coat and fly off to save the world from boredom. I don't know about you, but I am already over it. 

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