Dennis Rodman he says he will put his dictatorial diplomacy to good use soon to try and free him Brittney Grinerwho is currently imprisoned in Russia.
The former NBA star said so NBC news this weekend that he plans to get on the plane this week, adding that he got “clearance” to go and “help this girl” in a possible prisoner exchange. It’s unclear whether or not Rodman is serious…but his track record suggests he might be.
Former NBA player Dennis Rodman says he plans to visit Russia to seek Brittney Griner’s release.
“I was allowed to go to Russia to help this girl,” Rodman said @NBCNews at a restaurant in DC “I’m trying to go this week.”https://t.co/jKKNNM16Eh
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 21, 2022
@NBCNews
As we all know…DR has visited North Korea a lot over the years and has built a relationship with Kim Jong Un. Rodman has always insisted that his North Korean connections have helped US diplomatic efforts, including the release of an American prisoner, Kenneth Bae.
Of course, he also tagged along with the then president donald trump for a 2018 trip to the communist country. That said, his actual influence has always garnered a raised eyebrow.
There’s not much else to the NBC interview, which appears to have been fast and moving, as there’s no video or anything beyond text quotes, other than Rodman suggesting he’s also familiar with with Vladimir Putinand adds that he knows the leader “well”.
As NBC and other media have pointed out … Rodman doesn’t actually need permission to head to Russia at this point, and it’s not yet known if this is a US-sanctioned effort.
The feds have advised Americans not to travel to Russia at this time, and are already actively working to secure BG’s release, but we guess we’ll see if DR actually lands in the near future to do something other than that. it doesn’t happen anymore By the way, he was in DC this weekend for an event…so maybe geopolitics was the big thing for him.
He might also have a soft spot for Griner’s sitch…seeing how he’s a fellow hooper himself. Stranger Things Have Happened: Here’s hoping Vlad is a big ’90s Bulls fan.
