NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman said that he plans to fly ro Russia to seek the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, NBC News reported.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges earlier this month.
“I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,” Rodman told NBC News at a restaurant in D.C. “I’m trying to go this week.”
This isn’t the first time that Rodman made an informal diplomacy with international leaders who have strained relationships with the U.S. government.
He developed a close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and made multiple visits to the country as “basketball ambassador”.
Rodman also went to Moscow in 2014 as a request from Russian president Vladimir Putin.
However, the US administration thinks that Rodman will do more harm than any good.
“It’s public information that the administration has made a significant offer to the Russians and anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts,” said the official.
Despite the warning, Rodman told NBC News that “I know Putin too well.”
