LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, three UCLA basketball players, were arrested after they were accused of shoplifting on Tuesday in China, three days before their team was set to play Georgia Tech in an annual Pac-12 overseas game.
LiAngelo Ball and 2 other UCLA basketball players arrested in China, explained
The players are suspended indefinitely by the program.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
One week later, the three players were finally allowed to fly home after being detained in China for four days following the game.
All three did not play in or attend the game, instead staying in a hotel after they were released on bail on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Arash Markazi. After the game, which UCLA won, 63-60, all three players did NOT fly home with the team. Initial reports said they were likely to stay in China for another week or two for legal purposes. The case did not drag on that long.
So what actually happened to these UCLA players? Here’s everything we know about the case.
So what did the players actually do?
The players are accused of stealing Louis Vuitton sunglasses from a store near the team’s hotel. According to an ESPN report, there is video surveillance of the three shoplifting.
They can’t get in THAT much trouble just for shoplifting can they?
They could. According to a CNN report, they could face between three and 10 years in prison if convicted of grand larceny.
Where were the players held?
According to CNN, the players were in a hotel in Hangzhou, the same city in which they allegedly shoplifted, as ordered by Chinese police.
What does LaVar Ball think?
LaVar has stayed very lax throughout the process, declining to speak at times under suggestions by his lawyer. But when he has been vocal, he’s downplayed the incident, saying people are blowing things out of proportion.
”Everyone’s making it a big deal,” Ball said on Wednesday. “It ain’t that big a deal.”
What did Bill Walton say?
An alumni of the university, Walton was calling the UCLA-Georgia Tech game on ESPN, and upon tip-off, apologized to China on behalf of the entire human race.
Walton: Our host, Alibaba, the people, they have been better than perfect in everything. They’ve done everything right to make this all work. Now, members of our family have displayed an appalling lack of honor, lack of respect, lack of decency by doing something in someone else’s home that they’d never do in their own. I’d like to apologize right now on behalf of the human race for this travesty.
What does this mean for UCLA basketball?
Without this trio of freshmen, the Bruins are in for a tough start to the season. Both Riley and Hill were four-star recruits expected to make an impact right away — Riley may have even been one of the team’s starting forwards. He was a top-50 recruit out of high school. Ball was a three-star recruit also expected to play a role off the bench.
The Bruins went eight players deep in their opener, and may have to continue playing a short rotation for weeks. UCLA lost its starting point guard in Lonzo Ball and forward T.J. Leaf to the NBA draft, where they both became first-round picks.
UCLA will lean on five-star freshmen Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands for scoring, along with returning core players Thomas Welsh and Aaron Holiday. As good as those four may be though, they nearly weren’t enough against a shorthanded Georgia Tech team in their opener.
In short, Riley, Hill and Ball missing substantial time could truly hurt UCLA’s early-season record.
What’s the punishment from UCLA?
The players are suspended indefinitely.
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