NBA legend Dennis Rodman said he is planning on visiting Russia to try and help secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner after she was sentenced to nine years in prison over drug charges.
Rodman told NBC News on Saturday that he has received permission to travel to Russia in order to negotiate a deal for the release of Griner, who was jailed for possessing a vape containing cannabis oil cartridges.
“I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,” Rodman said. “I’m trying to go this week.”
Rodman, who has previously acted as an unofficial diplomat in U.S./North Korea relations, is planning on traveling to Russia despite the State Department issuing a “do not travel” warning for the country amid the invasion of Ukraine, and warning all U.S. citizens to leave Russia.
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The NBA Hall of Famer, best known for being part of the Chicago Bulls team of the mid to late ’90s, is also one of sports’ most controversial and polarizing figures.
Below, Newsweek has compiled some of the most controversial moments of Rodman’s career and life down the years.
Friendship With North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un
The most famous moment of Rodman’s post-basketball life is his surprise friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Rodman visited North Korea in 2013 to watch an exhibition match in the capital of Pyongyang, which featured members of the Harlem Globetrotters.
The visit arrived amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, with the secretive state threatening “miserable destruction” if the Pentagon carried out routine military exercises with South Korea.
Rodman later told Kim he had a “friend for life” and claimed his relationship with the North Korea leader helped the release of American prisoner Kenneth Bae in 2014. Bae had been detained in the country for two years before being released along with fellow U.S. citizen Matthew Todd Miller.
Calling Vladimir Putin a ‘Cool Guy’
Rodman also praised the Russian president following another diplomatic trip to play basketball in 2014.
While defending his trip to another U.S. adversary, the five-time NBA champion said it had nothing to do with politics while praising Putin as a “cool guy.”
“They don’t know about American basketball, American football,” Rodman told Fox Business. “I went over there to represent America as far as basketball is concerned.”
Numerous Legal Issues, Including Domestic Assault and Drunk Driving
Rodman, who has battled with alcohol addiction, has been arrested several times down the years.
In November 1999, Rodman and his then-wife Carmen Electra were both arrested over battery allegations following an incident at a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. The charges were later dropped for the pair.
The following month, Rodman was arrested for drunk driving and driving without a valid driver’s license in California. He later pleaded guilty to both charges.
Rodman also pleaded no contest to drunk driving charges in Las Vegas in 2005, and another incident of domestic violence at a hotel in Los Angeles in 2008.
In 2017, Rodman was handed 30 hours of community service over a hit-and-run accident he caused by driving the wrong way down a freeway in Orange County, California, and then later providing false information to a police officer.
Rodman has also settled a number of lawsuits for alleged sexual assault involving several women down the years.
Skipping a Chicago Bulls Finals Practice To Take Part in Wrestling Event
Arguably the most erratic moment of Rodman’s NBA career was when he skipped a practice session for the Chicago Bulls ahead of the fourth game of the 1998 NBA Finals in order to wrestle alongside Hulk Hogan at a WCW Nitro event in Detroit.
Rodman, who frequently went AWOL during his time with the Bulls, often partying in Las Vegas, went on to play in the crucial fourth game, with the Chicago Bulls beating Utah Jazz by 86-82.
Marrying Himself in 1996
Even outside of basketball, Rodman was one of the most recognizable stars on the planet because of his unique appearance, including frequently changing hair color, and his unusual antics.
One of his more outlandish stunts was in 1996 when he arrived to a book signing event in New York to promote his memoir Bad As I Wanna Be in full white bridal gown, declaring that he had married himself.
The move certainly helped promote the book and propel Rodman to worldwide fame.
Bad As I Wanna Be went on to top The New York Times bestseller list and remained on it for five months.
“That book elevated him to a new level of fame,” Rodman’s former agent and manager told CNN. “I remember CNN had a half-hour newscast back then and Dennis’ book was on the crawl. It was the No. 1 story.”
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On Court Controversies
Unsurprisingly, Rodman also attracted controversy while playing basketball during his career. In 1997, Rodman was suspended for 11 games after he kicked cameraman Eugene Amos during a Chicago Bulls game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rodman and Amos reached an out-of-court settlement for $200,000 over the incident.
Rodman was also suspended for six games for headbutting referee Ted Bernhardt during a Bulls match against the New Jersey Nets in March 1996.