Dennis Rodman’s diplomacy

NBA great Dennis Rodman revealed to NBC News a mere 48 hours ago that he “got permission” to journey to Russia to seek the release of WNBA star Britney Griner, now sentenced to prison in that nation on drug charges. Major news organizations immediately jumped on Mr. Rodman’s sudden announcement, and, well, there you are. Stay tuned.

Lest we forget, the 6-foot 7-inch former player has experience practicing his own brand of diplomacy. Since 2013, Mr. Rodman has visited North Korea four times at the behest of the nation’s leader Kim Jong-Un, even staging an exhibition game there with fellow U.S. former baseball stars. At the time, both the U.S. State Department and White House remained fairly elusive on the Rodman visits.

“Mr. Rodman made a private trip,” then-White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Jan. 7, 2014.

“Sports exchanges can be valuable. Sports diplomacy can be valuable. And it’s something that we pursue in many places around the world, including through direct support. But this is a private trip,” Mr. Carney told his gaggle of reporters when pressed on the issue, according to the official White House transcript.

The White House, he later added, was

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