New details have emerged regarding LiAngelo Ball’s recent arrest in China.
According to ESPN, the UCLA freshmen and his teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill did not fly back to the U.S. this weekend following the Bruin’s 63-60 win over Georgia Tech in Shanghai. Sources said the athletes have been holed up in the team's hotel in Hangzhou since they were released on bail Wednesday morning, and that they could remain in China for “a week or two.”
According to initial reports, the three men were taken into custody after they were accused of stealing sunglasses at a Louis Vuitton store near their hotel; however, a source said the trio was actually caught on surveillance shoplifting from three retailers. This, of course, could increase the severity of their punishment.
LiAngelo’s father, Lavar, doesn’t seem too worried, though. Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball—LiAngelo’s brother—said his father has reassured the family that everything will be OK. “We are handling it out here,” Lavar reportedly told Lonzo from China. “So that’s a good sign.”
According to ESPN, UCLA and the Pac-12 Conference are receiving some assistance from one of China’s biggest e-commerce companies, Alibaba—the presenting sponsor of the Pac-12 China game.
“Every young person makes mistakes, but the key point is how they will handle it after making the mistake,” Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai said. “I think sometimes things can be very complicated, and the last couple of days I've seen firsthand professionalism on all sides.”
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
