It was reported this morning by the Washington Post that President Donald Trump has gotten involved with the situation regarding three UCLA Basketball players accused of shoplifting in China as he has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help resolve the situation.
The situation with three UCLA Basketball players accused of stealing from a Louis Vuitton store (as well admit two other establishments) made all kinds of headlines last week.
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It became a huge matter on the campus of UCLA, it made waves across the college basketball scene and was such a high-profile story that the U.S. State Department got involved.
It has now been kicked up a notch as President Donald Trump has gotten himself in the matter.
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According to the Washington Post, Trump personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help resolve the situation. “After Trump raised the matter, Xi promised to look into the case and ensure that the players be treated fairly and expeditiously, said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.”
LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were arrested last Tuesday, November 7 for allegedly stealing $700 sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store close to the Hangzhou hotel the UCLA Basketball team was staying at in advance of the Pac-12 China Game against Georgia Tech. The Bruins played and won (63-60) without the three accused players.
According to Arash Markazi of ESPN, the three players will have to stay in China for another week or two while this matter gets resolved by Chinese authorities. The three players are currently under house arrest at their hotel.
Even with Trump’s help resolving the matter, the future of Ball, Hill and Riley with UCLA is still up in the air. At this point, it is unknown if these players will receive further suspensions or even expulsion.
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If the three Bruins are going to be detained in China for another two weeks, they could miss up to five games before they get back on U.S. soil, missing contests against Central Arkansas, South Carolina State, Creighton, Baylor/Wisconsin and UC Irvine.