President Donald Trump confirmed that he did intervene with China President Xi Jinping in the case of three UCLA basketball players who were arrested after shoplifting in China and those players are set to leave the country.
LiAngelo Ball, the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, were arrested last Tuesday for allegedly stealing from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team’s hotel in Hangzhou before their season opener against Georgia Tech.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the players were set to fly back home late Tuesday. The players were seen checking into to Pudong International Airport in Shanghai for a flight bound for Los Angeles.
The players were released on bail Wednesday morning in Hangzhou, China, and reportedly did not accompany the team back to Los Angeles after UCLA’s 63–60 victory over the Yellow Jackets.
“What they did was unfortunate. You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences,” Trump said, according to CBS News. “They do not play games.”
Trump said that Xi is helping out with the case and has been “terrific on that subject” and added that he hopes the players are able to return home soon.
“Hopefully everything is going to work out,” Trump said. “It’s a very rough situation.”
U.S. diplomats have been in contact with the families of the players and have also spoken with UCLA head coach Steve Alford.
Perhaps a couple of weeks in a chinese prison will cure sticky fingers. A few whacks with a bamboo cane, best keep UCLA out of N Korea.
Just like that little snot bucket arrested for vandalizing cars in Singapore some years ago and was sentenced to be whapped with a Rattan Cane remember Slick Willies reaction over it all as well as liberals throughout america the Whine,whine,whine from them
Now there’s some US representation; punk-ass basketball players acting like thugs in one of the most monitored countries in the world. Someone needs to go before the UN and explain all Americans are not this stupid.
When Hammar and Tahmooressi we captured by Mexico for committing NO crimes, Obama would not lift a finger to get their release, even though Hammar suffered from PTSD and was CHAINED TO A BED. Yet Trump can swallow the embarrassment of having to take up for some thieving thugs and ask for the favor of sending them home DESPITE them having committed stupid, thug crimes. Obama couldn’t even bring himself to stand up for veterans who actually DID serve honorably, too afraid Mexico might not continue sending the poor to us to babysit.
Trump is a leader, no doubt or argument about it.