Lavar Ball only wants NBA son Lonzo Ball concentrating on the things he can control.
With that in mind, Ball has instructed his eldest son to keep his focus on the L.A. Lakers and his rookie season and leave the worrying about younger brother LiAngelo up to him and the U.S. government.
“My dad did call me but didn’t give me much information,” Lonzo told ESPN of his brother and two other UCLA men’s basketball players being detained in China after being charged with shoplifting.
“He just said be ready to play. We are handling it out here so that is a good sign,” Lonzo added. “They are out there so they are taking care of him.”
Several media outlets have reported all three UCLA players are not expected to be on the team flight scheduled to return to the states on Saturday.
LiAngelo, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill are all expected to be required to remain in China for up to two more weeks as legal matters are being sorted out.
The three have been questioned about alleged stealing from a Louis Vuitton store while the team was there to face ACC power Georgia Tech. All three spent roughly 24 hours in police custody before being released earlier in the week.
Since being released, all of them have been confined to their hotel in Hangzhou and did not accompany the team when it traveled to Shanghai for its season-opening 63-60 win over the Yellow Jackets.
It’s not uncommon for the Chinese government to deport foreigners suspected of having committed relatively minor offenses, though a shoplifting conviction in China could carry a sentence of up to as much as 10 years in prison.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that “there is a strong likelihood” the trio could face a sentence of 20 days of house arrest and then be banned from coming back to China.
For what it’s worth, Lavar doesn’t seem too concerned.
CBS reports The Big Baller Brand owner opened up a pop-up shop for BBB apparel while in China, where he mugged for photos and easily signed autographs. The family is also rumored to have shot scenes for their family reality show while abroad.
“He’ll be fine, everybody making it a big deal, it ain’t that big of a deal,” Lavar told ESPN .
[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
