Brittney Griner case
‘I have permission’ – Dennis Rodman wants to travel to Russia and free jailed basketball player
Wants to travel to Russia and free basketball player Brittney Griner: the former basketball star Dennis Rodman
© Kim Kwang Hyon / AFP
Even in basketball he was considered an enfant terrible. Dennis Rodman later used his popularity for an odd friendship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Now the athlete with a penchant for world politics has another mission.
Former US basketball star Dennis Rodman wants to personally campaign in Russia for the release of imprisoned basketball player Brittney Griner. “I have permission to travel to Russia to help the girl,” Rodman told NBC News on Sunday. He hopes to be able to travel this week. At the beginning of August, 31-year-old Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia for drug smuggling.
Rodman made the comments at an athletic apparel event in Washington, according to NBC. He did not say who should have given him this permission. He wants to leave this week. “I know Putin too well,” Rodman was further quoted as saying.
A senior US official told AFP that Washington is known to have made a sizeable offer to Russia. “Anything other than negotiations through the established channels could complicate and hamper efforts to obtain a release.”
Griner was arrested on arrival in Moscow in February. Cartridges for e-cigarettes with cannabis oil were found in their luggage. Despite tensions over Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, discussions have been ongoing between Moscow and Washington about a possible prisoner exchange since Griner’s arrest.
Dennis Rodman is known for wacky forays into politics
Rodman, 61, a five-time NBA champion, is known for his unorthodox forays into international politics. In recent years he has developed a friendship with North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un and has traveled to the internationally isolated country several times. In 2018, he flew to Singapore when then-US President Donald Trump met Kim there.
Rodman has also spoken positively about Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past. In 2014, after meeting in Moscow, he described Putin as “pretty cool.”
Griner is considered one of the best basketball players in the world and plays in the US professional league WNBA for Phoenix Mercury. During the WNBA break she runs for the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg.