UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley, who were being held in a Chinese hotel on house confinement after getting arrested for shoplifting, are finally getting to leave the country and head back to UCLA. But their troubles are not over, as all three are still facing time behind bars if they are found guilty of stealing Louis Vuitton sunglasses from a store in a Chinese mall. At this time, all three UCLA basketball players are at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai waiting to board a Delta flight.
The three UCLA freshman basketball players arrested while on a goodwill trip to China have embarrassed the school and the PAC-12 conference. PAC-12 Commissioner Larry Scott gave a public statement to the press.
“It’s certainly very unfortunate and very disappointing to me as commissioner of the conference, when we’re guests in another country, guests of our partners, that any of our students should be involved in this incident. That’s not the standard we hold our students to, especially when they are traveling and they are ambassadors of their university and the United States.”
It is unclear at this time what type of punishment the UCLA basketball players, LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley, will face when they return to the UCLA campus.
Entitled, spoiled athletes embarrass the entire country. I have no respect for the new wave of athletes. https://t.co/kBJrFweJeV
— God bless the USA (@biglugg77) November 9, 2017
It is surprising that UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley are heading back to the United States as they were thought to stay under house arrest at a hotel in China for approximately two weeks. But several powerful people got involved to allow the three UCLA basketball players to return to the United States. Jack Ma, President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi all aided in the release of LiAngelo Ball and the other two freshman UCLA basketball players.
President Donald Trump made a statement this morning about UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley and their release to head back to UCLA and the United States.
“President Xi has been terrific on that subject… But that was not a good subject. That was not something that should have happened. What they did was unfortunate. You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences. They [Chinese officials] do not play games.”
President Donald Trump’s comment reminds the public that just because the UCLA basketball players are headed back to UCLA doesn’t mean they are off the hook. LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley are all facing years behind bars in a Chinese prison.
UCLA Players Leaving China, Flying to U.S. https://t.co/5WIX1jshB7
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 14, 2017
So what was it that changed over the weekend that has now allowed all three UCLA basketball players to return to the United States today? The Washington Post is reporting that it was a call from President Donald Trump to Chinese President Xi that made all of the difference. Trump gave a statement to the press from his stop in Manila that Chinese authorities were at work to allow the three UCLA basketball players who were out on bail to return to the United States.
“They’re working on it right now. Hopefully, everything is going to work out.”
UCLA and the UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford has still not commented on the arrest of their three UCLA players at a mall in China. All three UCLA players are said to be clearly on surveillance tapes stealing at the mall. The game that UCLA played against Georgia Tech was said to be overshadowed by the unfortunate behavior of the three freshman players.
LiAngelo Ball’s father Lavar Ball was also in China at the same time to open shops for his Big Baller brand. Right after the arrest, Lavar Ball commented on his middle son’s arrest and his ban from playing basketball at the UCLA game.
“Everyone’s making it a big deal. It ain’t that big a deal.”
After that, Lavar Ball was asked not to comment on LiAngelo’s arrest, and Lavar Ball was perhaps reminded that his son is facing suspension or expulsion from UCLA, and time in a Chinese prison.
Are you surprised that LiAngelo Ball and the three other UCLA players were allowed to return to the United States while out on bail? Are you surprised that Donald Trump got involved in the UCLA matter?
[Featured Image by AP Photo/File/AP Images]