Isiah Thomas weighs in on former teammate Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea

(CNN) - NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is familiar with the idiosyncrasies of former teammate Dennis Rodman.

But Rodman's recently befriending North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, and visiting the isolated regime to engage in what he considers basketball diplomacy, causes a bit of discomfort.

"When we look at the situation, all of us would be much more comfortable if the State Department was involved in this," Thomas said in an interview with CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."

"If the State Department was involved in this diplomatic game, so to speak, we would all feel a little more comfortable," said Thomas.

Isiah Thomas joined "The Lead" to respond to CNN's investigation into illiteracy rates among college athletes, for more of that conversation, click here.