LiAngelo Ball, Younger Brother Of Lonzo Ball, Allegedly Arrested For Shoplifting In China With UCLA Team
When it comes to the Ball family, there always seems to be some kind of drama or trouble surrounding them. This time it comes from LiAngelo Ball, the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers’ rookie Lonzo Ball. Allegedly, LiAngelo Ball was arrested for shoplifting while with his UCLA basketball team in China.
It was not only LiAngelo Ball who was reportedly arrested, as ESPN is reporting that two other UCLA men’s basketball players were arrested. Those players are freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill. The three players were allegedly arrested in China just days before their season-opening game against Georgia Tech in Shanghai, which takes place on Friday, November 10, sources told ESPN.
The three players are being questioned about stealing from a Louis Vuitton store, which happens to be located right next to the team’s hotel. The source also told ESPN that the players are not currently with the team.
UCLA head coach Steve Alford has not made any kind of statement on the situation. However, UCLA has released a statement regarding the alleged arrests in China.
“We are aware of a situation involving UCLA student-athletes in Hangzhou, China. The University is cooperating fully with local authorities on this matter, and we have no further comment at this time.”
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A source told ESPN that multiple players from both Georgia Tech and UCLA were spoken to on Tuesday. This occurred after nearly 20 police officers came into the Hyatt Hangzhou at approximately 8 a.m. local time. These players were kept in rooms for hours and were not allowed to talk with any of their coaches.
It appears the Ball family is now in Shanghai as well, as LaVar Ball, his wife Tina, and LaMelo Ball, who is 16 years old and already committed to play basketball at UCLA, were all having breakfast with the UCLA team at the team hotel in Shanghai on Wednesday morning.
According to the source, the Georgia Tech players were allowed to leave the room after questioning hours later. After that, the three UCLA players were seen getting into a police vehicle around 1 p.m. local time. Georgia Tech has released a statement regarding their part in all of this, as three of their players were questioned.
“During the questioning, it was determined that Georgia Tech student-athletes were not involved in the activities being investigated. They have resumed their scheduled activities in advance of Saturday’s season opener versus UCLA in Shanghai.”
It looks like the teams are scheduled to visit Shanghai Disney Resort on Wednesday and their game will take place on Friday, but no word if the three UCLA players will be in attendance, including LiAngelo Ball.
[Featured Image by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images]
