[Bluehorseshoe]

LaVar Ball downplays Donald Trump's role in UCLA freshmen's release
2:54 AM ET

Arash MarkaziESPN Senior Writer



LOS ANGELES -- LaVar Ball downplayed his son's shoplifting incident in China as well as U.S. president Donald Trump's involvement in getting his son and two other UCLA players back to the United States earlier this week.

"Who?" Ball told ESPN when asked about Trump's involvement in the matter. "What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out."

UCLA freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, who had been detained in China for the past week on suspicion of shoplifting, landed in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening and addressed the media on Wednesday before being indefinitely suspended by the team.

Trump, who returned late Tuesday from a trip through Asia, said he raised their case with President Xi Jinping of China during a visit to Beijing last week.



Multiple sources told ESPN that UCLA officials are debating how long to keep out the three suspended freshmen players who admitted to shoplifting during the basketball team's trip to China last week.

The players were questioned last week about allegedly stealing from three high-end stores, including sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team's hotel in Hangzhou, where the Bruins had been staying before leaving for Shanghai to face Georgia Tech on Friday.

They were released on bail early Nov. 8 and had been staying at a lakeside hotel in Hangzhou prior to flying home.

"As long as my boy's back here, I'm fine," Ball told ESPN. "I'm happy with how things were handled. A lot of people like to say a lot of things that they thought happened over there. Like I told him, 'They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.' I'm from L.A. I've seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses. My son has built up enough character that one bad decision doesn't define him. Now if you can go back and say when he was 12 years old he was shoplifting and stealing cars and going wild, then that's a different thing.

"Everybody gets stuck on the negativity of some things and they get stuck on them too long. That's not me. I handle what's going on and then we go from there."

[Bluehorseshoe]

Like I told him, 'They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.' I'm from L.A. I've seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses.

[RudyRuetigger]

playing to Californians

maybe we can now extradite them so china can proceed with the charges after they just admitted their guilt

[Chi_archie]

he black

so both

[Chi_archie]

please let trump get wind of this and start a tweet storm

[jts1207]

please let trump get wind of this and start a tweet storm

That's all he's hoping for.

[Hman]

I think this guy had proven himself to be many things, including a possible racist with his latest comments.

[Bluehorseshoe]

How does he not realize the consequences for stealing in China are different from here?

[Eastcoastbangas]

Lol he is both

[ChuckyTheGoat]

What a dumb MF'er. Could have been a long prison sentence, w/o intervention from Trump.

[jjgold]

Black trash

70% are

Should of left him there and then get raped in prison daily and Chinese send tapes daily to his family to watch and suffer

lol ghetto peoplelaughing stock of USA

[2daBank]

please let trump get wind of this and start a tweet storm

I'll never understand how most ya'll otherwise reasonable decent ppl take no issue with the god damn president of United States being a tweeting child. It a fukkin embarrassment yet ya'll root him on like a hero for behaving like a spoiled child. Makes me sad.

[2daBank]

What a dumb MF'er. Could have been a long prison sentence, w/o intervention from Trump.

We know this to be factually accurate? Not saying I do, very curious if there any kind of proof trump was instrumental in them getting released... no partisan crap please, I don't like either side, just some good old truth would be great. Thanks.

[Bluehorseshoe]

We know this to be factually accurate? Not saying I do, very curious if there any kind of proof trump was instrumental in them getting released... no partisan crap please, I don't like either side, just some good old truth would be great. Thanks.

I'm not a Trump guy.....But there's no way you get caught stealing in China and you're out that quick.

If he wasn't in the country at the time, they're still there for at least a few months.

[jjgold]

dirty scumbag

Kick him off team

[Fire in da hole]

Don't tell me nothing.

He used four word to make a sentence, two of which were negatives. Yes, he is dumb as fuk.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

absolute clown

very happy to see that Lonzo is looking like an enormous bust

[2daBank]

I'm not a Trump guy.....But there's no way you get caught stealing in China and you're out that quick.

If he wasn't in the country at the time, they're still there for at least a few months.

I don't like him, not cause he republican, actually understood why he won election (wasn't any good choices). I stopped liking dems after the way they acted when he won, that was as embarrassing as trump's tweeting.

Maybe I need to be better versed in China cause I don't know what you saying to be true or not. Unlike most around here I don't pretend to know things I don't. I just don't think what you saying in any way proves trump made a significant impact on situation.

Not saying he didn't, just saying without anything but speculation and his word which meaningless I can't say he did. Was hoping maybe one of his many fans around here actually had something passing as hint of proof?

[Fire in da hole]

absolute clown

very happy to see that Lonzo is looking like an enormous bust

At first I was hoping Lonzo would go to some other team, but now that he looks like shit, I'm happy he is in the "LA spotlight". After all, that is what the Balls wanted, right? Wonder if his dumb ass will continue chirping once Lonzo is out of the league?

[eswerve4]

absolute clown

very happy to see that Lonzo is looking like an enormous bust

I primarily blame ESPN for this Ball debacle, been a joke since day one and they made millions... kardashians 2.0

[jtoler]

Told ya Trump did absolutely nothing. Supreme Mr. Photo Op guy same ole same ole, has done it his entire career and some want to all of a sudden slurp the nonsense when you know better, you aint fooling nobody.

[jjgold]

Don't tell me nothing.

He used four word to make a sentence, two of which were negatives. Yes, he is dumb as fuk.

Many do not have the education gene

[Bluehorseshoe]

I don't like him, not cause he republican, actually understood why he won election (wasn't any good choices). I stopped liking dems after the way they acted when he won, that was as embarrassing as trump's tweeting.

Maybe I need to be better versed in China cause I don't know what you saying to be true or not. Unlike most around here I don't pretend to know things I don't. I just don't think what you saying in any way proves trump made a significant impact on situation.

Not saying he didn't, just saying without anything but speculation and his word which meaningless I can't say he did. Was hoping maybe one of his many fans around here actually had something passing as hint of proof?

Seriously? You do not walk out of China that quick unless you get some serious help. I can't believe they're back here that fast.

If the arrest holds up and the UCLA trio is convicted, Ball, Hill and Riley could face harsh punishment in a country that is renewed for its zero tolerance penal code. Shoplifting in China carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum sentence of a decade, according to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China.

[2daBank]

Told ya Trump did absolutely nothing. Supreme Mr. Photo Op guy same ole same ole, has done it his entire career and some want to all of a sudden slurp the nonsense when you know better, you aint fooling nobody.

Do you have proof he didn't have a impact?

Same proof I'm
asking from trump fans to give me that he was responsible.

If no proof your claims trump had nothing to do with it are no more valid than claims he was instrumental.

Seems per usual both sides just make up whatever bs they want to believe.

[2daBank]

Seriously? You do not walk out of China that quick unless you get some serious help. I can't believe they're back here that fast.

You telling me his family doesn't have enough money to gain preferential treatment? Seriously you think only way they walk out is if trump intervenes?

[Bluehorseshoe]

You telling me his family doesn't have enough money to gain preferential treatment? Seriously you think only way they walk out is if trump intervenes?

Yes!!!! It's China. Human rights groups are on there ass all the time.

You're not buying your way out of it.

[jjgold]

Trump was just with China Pres

Of course he got them out

What dumb fuks here

[2daBank]

Yes!!!! It's China. Human rights groups are on there ass all the time.

You're not buying your way out of it.

There tons of ways this could have been accomplished without trump. I'm not gonna let the forum libs sit here and say "told ya he had nothing to do with it" either. Without definitive evidence or statement from someone credible I'll continue not knowing or believing either side.

[Booya711]

Should have left them in China....they werent worthy of a presidential intervening anyway

[jjgold]

Ball a nobody actually

Could not even start for a Div 2 team

[jtoler]

Do you have proof he didn't have a impact?

Same proof I'm
asking from trump fans to give me that he was responsible.

If no proof your claims trump had nothing to do with it are no more valid than claims he was instrumental.

Seems per usual both sides just make up whatever bs they want to believe.

Pretty much. I can read between the lines. Even with his team doing the talking they are basically saying it wasnt because of Trump rather its simply not that serious what they did, it wasnt something to detain and keep them over there for ages as some make it out to be. Supposedly when Trump asked the president if he knew about the bball players incident, the president had heard nothing about it and said to Trump that it wasnt a serious thing. They would have came home anyway.

[Bluehorseshoe]

There tons of ways this could have been accomplished without trump. I'm not gonna let the forum libs sit here and say "told ya he had nothing to do with it" either. Without definitive evidence or statement from someone credible I'll continue not knowing or believing either side.

I don't know what to tell you. You're blocking out basic facts such as.......No Trial!!!!! You think that happens over there on shits and giggles???

[2daBank]

I don't know what to tell you. You're blocking out basic facts such as.......No Trial!!!!! You think that happens over there on shits and giggles???

I think there ways to get things done everywhere with money and influence. Next time I take either sides word for something will be the 1st time. That all. In the end I really don't care. We got games!!

[Bluehorseshoe]

I think there ways to get things done everywhere with money and influence. Next time I take either sides word for something will be the 1st time. That all. In the end I really don't care. We got games!!

One last thing.

If I paid you $30,000 to go to China to do the same thing these kids did.....Would you do it??

[jtoler]

And we know Donald, if he really had an impact on whether they were held or not then we'd never hear the end of it from him.