Update: The players have flown home.
Donald Trump asked the president of China to resolve the UCLA shoplifting case
The players were arrested one day before Trump began his visit to China.
Photo by Thomas Peter - Pool/Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Three UCLA basketball players — including freshman LiAngelo Ball -- remain in China after being accused of shoplifting sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store as the rest of the team has flown back to the United States following a game against Georgia Tech on Friday. Now president Donald Trump is asking Chinese president Xi Jinping to resolve the case quickly, according to the Washington Post.
The Post reports that charges against the players have been reduced, and that the case is closing in on a resolution.
Trump arrived in China on a diplomatic visit one day after the UCLA players were arrested. Chief of Staff John F. Kelly has reportedly served as an intermediary between UCLA and Chinese officials in the hopes of bringing the players back to the United States quickly. The players could reportedly stay in the country for a “week or two.”
UCLA defeated Georgia Tech 63-60 in China on Friday without the three players, a group that also includes freshmen Jalen Hill and Cody Riley.
We’ll update this story as it continues to develop.
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