While staying in Hangzhou for the UCLA basketball team’s tour in China, three freshmen—LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill—visited the Louis Vuitton store next to their hotel and are said to have pilfered some sunglasses. On November 7, they were arrested for shoplifting. Then they got bailed out the next morning. They continued to stay at the hotel along with a UCLA representative, but missed the following game and didn’t return home with the team.
What happened
This hotel chain is designed to suck, but they didn’t see much of it.
As ESPN reports:
A source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation said the players could be in Hangzhou for “a week or two.” The source noted that there is surveillance footage of the players shoplifting from three stores inside of a high-end shopping center, which houses Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Salvatore Ferragamo stores.
Bruins coach Steve Alford declined to discuss the matter after the team’s win.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball — LiAngelo’s brother — on Saturday said his father LaVar called him Friday night and told him the family is staying in China with LiAngelo and that “we are handling it out here, so that’s a good sign.”
Hangzhou police arrived early Tuesday morning at the Hyatt Regency, where UCLA and Georgia Tech were staying ahead of their game, and questioned three players from each team. Team representatives and interpreters were with the players during that time, according to a source.
Afterward, LiAngelo Ball, Riley and Hill were taken to the police station in Hangzhou, where they were kept for a number of hours. UCLA representatives, including Alford, were at the police station along with the players.
[…]
LaVar Ball, and LiAngelo’s brother LaMelo Ball, who have been in China, visited LiAngelo on Thursday. UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero visited all three players Friday.
So all told, it’s a smaller-scale version of the 1997 incident where several members of TSU’s Ocean of Soul marching band helped themselves to $22K of consumer electronics in Tokyo. Once more, some college students touring in Asia got busted for shoplifting, causing a minor international incident, and unfortunately gave the locals a bad impression of Americans. This time, the case resulted in arrests, and the President interceded on their behalf.
The aftermath
As Reuters reports:
The three players — LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill — remain suspended from the University of California, Los Angeles, basketball team indefinitely, coach Steve Alford told a news conference.
All three apologized and thanked Trump for helping secure their release by raising the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit, in their first public comments since being detained.
[…]
UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said the students were released by the Chinese police after paying $2,200 bail.
Guerrero said that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called the students over the weekend to assure them that the government was working on their release. After the players’ release, Chinese Foreign Ministry officials said the case had been resolved according to law.
All told, being collegiate athletes—and thus minor celebrities, because sportsball is basically a religion—means they got more than the common citizen’s ration of perks. They were accompanied every step of the way by a school representative, and LiAngelo was in contact with his family. Cash was available to bail them out, so they didn’t have to stay in pretrial detention. In China, that can last up to a month, or considerably more if authorities aren’t following procedure. Rather than being prosecuted, these ones got off with a public apology. Chinese prison certainly is no walk in the park.
Finally, the Presidency seldom gets involved on behalf of those who get in hot water over petty crime. The State Department does try to look out for Americans overseas, but realistically, most tourists can expect to get punished by the standards of the country they’re visiting if they get themselves in trouble. These kids fared much better than ordinary students who flout local laws while abroad. Hopefully it was an eye-opening experience and they’ve learned their lesson. If so, then they won’t end up like all too many spoiled athletes.
The reaction
Per Fox News:
“I would like to thank President Trump and the United States government for the help that they’ve provided as well,” LiAngelo Ball said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“To President Trump and the United States government, thank you for taking the time to intervene on our behalf,” another player, Cody Riley, said. “We really appreciate you helping us out.”
“Thank you to the United States government and President Trump for your efforts to bring us home,” the third player, Jalen Hill, said.
But earlier in the day, Trump was apparently hearing crickets from the trio and asked where was the gratitude.
“Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!” the president tweeted.
In contrast to the belated expressions of gratitiude, LiAngelo’s father wasn’t too impressed. Again per ESPN:
“Who?” LaVar Ball told ESPN on Friday, 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.”
[…]
“As long as my boy’s back here, I’m fine,” LaVar 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.”
Personally interceding with the President of China was no big deal? Really?
Spending years of their prime locked up in a developing country would’ve been a life-changing event for the students. Chinese prison involves slave labor and meager rations, and ten years might indeed have been on the table for theft. (That’s not too bad by Chinese standards; egregious thefts or repeat offenses can get the death penalty, and the prisoner’s organs may be harvested.) Quite likely, that would’ve derailed their athletic careers, in which case LiAngelo following his brother Lonzo’s footsteps into the NBA would be impossible.
Trump fires back
This is someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
The Donald wasn’t amused by the father’s display of ingratitude, making him wish he’d let them twist in the wind:
Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!
If this took place a year ago and Obama had been the one to arrange their release following the dumb stunt, perhaps the reaction would’ve been different. LaVar’s show of disrespect demonstrates the proverb that no good deed goes unpunished.
Read More: Stop Watching Sports
Firstborn son Lonzo is not doing so well with the Lakers. He’s developing the nickname “Air Ball” with fans and shooting only 30%.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/11/lonzo-ball-airball-nickname-shooting-percentage-lakers
Dad’s potential billion dollar sports merchandise empire won’t succeed on hype alone.
Saw the douche bag dad on TV. Just grandstanding obviously with the hope that increased face time will equal increased dollar$. Dad should of just said “thank you” and moved on, but no, must make something out of nothing. No wonder the son felt he could steal and nothing would happen.
Can’t blame him, look how rich the Kardashians got from having all style and no substance, look how where Trump got from being a multi-time bankrupt who inherited tons of money. Had he just bought real estate and held it, he should be worth closer to $24 billion. Sometimes having a touch of talent or luck and a big mouth and ego and the confidence is just enough to make it. Plus alot of good players, including Jordan, didn’t have great first seasons.
Stop with the propaganda Roosh bin Laden, Lonzo ball is actually a having a damn good season despite his shooting woes. HE ALREADY HAS TWO TRIPLE-DOUBLES IN HIS FIRST 15 GAMES OF THE SEASON. Basketball is more than just shooting, and he accels at many other parts of the game. At this rate, he will likely notch 6-10 triple doubles in his rookie season at 19 years old!!! Plus, he has virtually no talent around him.
I love the way that a self made black guy like Lavar incenses cowards like you to the point that you have to lie just to bring him down.
Btw, I am here at work (the hustle never stops in NYC, the alpha playground) laughing my ass off at you clowns. I can barely get anything done because I can’t stop reading the pathetic drivel on here!
My White co-workers (who date Gisele types, hard 9+) are the ones that brought me to your site. It is the constant source for how not to look at life. Think about it, a quasi-white supremacist site that is lead by a Muslim. Pure gold.
#Trump2020
Lol nice troll attempt
Your story was cool except for the obvious bullshit of being too busy because you’re an alpha New Yorker. What alpha NYC cat has time to read ROK?
And kill it with the lies. We all know New York men don’t date Gisele types as men in New York are frequently known to date down. Only magnates are dating supermodel types in NYC nigga
New York “Alpha”
Tells his Jewish tenants he is “Swedish” like Trump’s German father.
Midwest “Alpha”
“Fuck off you stupid Beastie Boy”
New York “Alpha”
Oh no! some fat Italian middle-aged men named Tony and Paulie are taking 10 cents out of every dollar and our police are two scared to go down to their cigar-stinking two-bit “Bing” and bust them.
West Coast “Alpha”
Vinnie and Guido get one look at the biker gangs and Mexican Mafia and race back to “Noo Yawk” to tell their “CROOOW” that perfume-wearing pizza parlor-looking Italians with gold rings on their pinkie don’t scare anyone.
New York Alpha
My sister converted to Judaism to marry some guy whose mother-in-law calls her the “Skiksa”
West Coast Alpha
“Fuck off, Pajama boy”
New York “Alpha”
Oh, we can’t go there, the PR’s and blacks will kick our asses!
The real racist is you. It seems that you envy your alpha friend, why being white is relevant to mention about your co worker ?(not a friend just co worker), calling people by their color, calling people you don´t like nazies and equating Islam with race, Islam is not a race. You are the real racist. hahaha You are just another liberal, shut up and get the hell out of here to scream to the sky.
New York “Alpha”= Pajama Boy-type Jew.
Somebody got their vagina hurt by a headline.
LOL: When your son embarrasses America and you say “at least he aint stealing cars…”
Your comment reminds me of Back to the Future II where Biff tries to sound smart but says the wrong thing.
To paraphrase Biff: It’s ‘excel’ not ‘accel’, you sound like a damn fool when you say that.
Did a muslim rape you while you were young?
“Self made black guy”
Yeah, playing a game of children. Look at yesterday’s black athletes like Tyson. Half of them are broke. Sure, they shoot a wicked jump shot.
“Alpha Playground”
Where Germans like old Drumpf tell their Jewish tenants they are “Swedish” out of fear of reprisal.
Overweight Italian-Americans in two-bit strip joints like “Bing” who’d be laughed at by Mexican Mafia or White Biker gangs or cops in LA terrorize citizens out of 10 cents on every dollar-including our President in Atlantic City.
Pajama Boy “Alpha” Ashkenzi treat every Gentile like a serf while their politicians do time like Weiner or Spitzer.
What an Alpha city for sure. Nobody wants to live there.
“Led by a Muslim”
If New York Puerto Rico and blacks could integrate as well as one West Coast Iranian I’d be amazed.
He’s in the nba he’s doing just fine
Cuck sportsball will be gone when the boomers are gone.
Just read that ESPN will have massive layoffs for the morning laugh.
I love it when commie rat pieces of shit FAIL.
id rather be put 10 years in a chinese prison than 5 years in USA prison.
USA is crazy
No you don´t. Where want you to be? in a place full of dindus like you nigga or full of Chinese people when you don´t speak the language and have no rights.
in china, chinese are not retarded. americans are.
I know you grew up only watching T.V. and know nothing of the real world, but believe me, when a bunch of violent Mongoloid Chinese criminals will pass you around like an exotic ass meat.
You won’t fit in, won’t make friends, and you’ll be an outsider. And the system won’t help you.
At least in an American Prison, you have SOME rights, as opposed to a Chinese system with NO rights. That and you’ll be surrounded by double digit I.Q. people such as yourself who speak the same language.
You might get shanked in either prison, but I believe you’ll be A LOT safer in an American prison. Source? google Chinese prisons.
double digit IQ… you are probably right about chinese being stupid, but americans are even dumber. check out youtube and their “social experiments” there are thousands of videos of the normal citizens in the USA, they all share the same mentality. the “that`s awesome”- mentality. look kanye west shoes = that`s awesome….. if that is not retarded i dont know.
Chinese people are way more decent than americans, their culture is better, they are more connected with nature (insert dog eating joke here) go to china, stay there a few months and your low opinion on them will change.
wolf
That is why Chinese depend on our companies to give them factory jobs.
Wolf
This is why Chinese peasants have a living standard like the USA did 100 years ago and live in horrendous Third-World poverty 40 miles in the interior from the cities.
Also you can get a Chinese prostitute for $20.
Wolf (Chinese dog)
Chinese culture is “better”.
Still drowning your girl babies?
Drown the boys instead.
You should’ve compared the inmates, not the citizens.
Asians > AIDs.
let them shit themselves.
They handed Trump a win no matter how the they responded, but it was even more gratifying to see papa Ball trot out the typical Dindu response of “My boy he be a gooood boy/ weren’t no big deal he dun/ white man dindu nuffins fo’ my boy.” I suppose if Little Ball had died we would have heard about him taking Grandma to church on Sundays, his aspirations as a rapper and the tragedy of his death coming just when he was turning his life around.
Sports should be a meritocracy, so if the best player is black, so be it. Unfortunately, The NBA and NFL have turned into a games of “My negro thug is bigger than your negro thug.”
Yes I always found this interesting, time and time again, we do see that Whites, Asians, Latinos, Arabs, etc all have high level athletes in International sports, but for some reason, only in the USA is there nigs everywhere in sports.
13% of the Population and 90% of the players? What’s up with that? I know they’re athletic people, but that can’t be the end of it considering how many non-blacks win championships and gold medals in other sports.
I believe it’s a mixture of owners who believe nigs to be more athletic, and a mixture of (((American Propaganda))).
Americans like certain sports and not others.
Blacks do not make great hockey players so why would Canadians watch them?
Italian-Americans or Irish-Americans are no longer raised in the atrocious poverty that creates vicious Mike Tyson type fighters any longer so middle-class whites are not going to be heavyweights.
This is very true, we’re seeing more white athletes join combat sports again, now that upper and middle classes are fading and we’re all being relegated to being lower class.
Black people don’t really play hockey it takes co ordination and balance just like football and basketball
I saw most of the interview with LaVar, and counted all of the following fallacies he was throwing at Cuomo.
Strawman, tu quoque, false equivalency, red herring, personal incredulity, begging the question, loaded question, and anecdotal. Never seen anything like it in terms of the sheer variety.
can you explain for non-experts in rethoric? lel
Some answer to your question here
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/index.html
Is that another Talcum X / Shaun King doppleganger in the middle of those three?
Just two masculine men clashing… nothing to see here
Anyone else find it funny that Disqus is currently campaigning to promote net neutrality?
“Protect the open internet. We stand for net neutrality.” ~Disqus
“Oh ROK??? Umm.. well those guys are mean so we better SHUT IT DOWN!” ~Disqus
We don´t have net neutrality. Google algorithm manipulate results, and hosting sites ban sites they don´t agree with their ideologies, in a free net neutral internet, trends create and evolve in a memetic way, but the left hate it and wants to control it. Yeah because you know the Z generation who grow with tables and shit, does not blindly believe everything his faggot millennial professor said and question everything and known how to use search engines so they will search for “why socialism is best than capitalism” and the left will make sure the kids will not find any criticism about socialism on google unless they go for the 35 page in the result, net neutrality my ass. If you look for capitalism in Wikipedia, you will find the pros and cons of capitalism and criticism of capitalism, if you look for socialism, you will find only the “I feel good” socialism stuff and more capitalism criticism. The forget to mention that it is the only economic ideology with a 100% failure rate. wait of course that was not real socialism, kids let´s try it again but this time the real socialism.
They stole. It’s a crime. I don’t know why the President intervened for them anyway.
For PR purposes but it’s not like it really does anything. Though I’m not a huge Trump fan since he is after all a Zio puppet, in the eyes of Libs/Lefties/Commies/ and everyone of low I.Q, it is so ingrained in their believes that he’s a racist looking to put them in concentration camps, that he can do no right.
President is an idiot, they should’ve served at least a year. Now the USA owes CHINA a favor, and they WILL collect.
They already owe China trillions. I doubt this is the straw that will break the camel’s back.
Exactly.
I went to school with quite a number of American Blacks(yay diversity). They stand in slight contrast to the Africans I went to college with, who typically didn’t identify with gangster culture or sports worship. However, even the Blacks from American upper class homes were fucking unbelievable kleptomaniacs. They would cut stacks of DVDs out of the sleeve at Walmart, steal ipods, phones etc. coming home with hundreds of dollars worth of shit every weekend. They had big nuts, but they were also mentally retarded and required constant supervision. They would get riled up in the dorms regularly, over whatever “disrespek” and you would have 6,7,8 + jiggys jumping and grunting “square up nicca sqwaa uuu ” etc. that coupled with the abhorrent vortex of cheap deoderant, cocobutter and horrific BO-they were just a total and complete embarrassment to themselves and everyone around them. This case was no different. The father humiliated himself on national television, making it very clear his IQ was that of an ungrateful, cooked turnip.
but the white people in america are just as retarded, with a little less stealing i assume.
@migs ‘that coupled with the abhorrent vortex of cheap deoderant, cocobutter and horrific BO’ 😂😂😂 Hilarious statement. In my household we never get this wrong, anti-perspirant is the way to go, with pure shea butter and everday showering/bathing!
Daniel Maselino
If your’e going to get one thing right in life, that’s it buddy. #Respeck
MIGS
My first exposure to upper-class black Americans was at university, too. I was surprised that although they took studies seriously they would commit felony crimes all the time.
Also they were bad dope dealers. They would sell drugs and within 3 weeks be busted. I was able to see how blacks end up in jail for life because weight meant nothing to them. They’d have a pound of marijuana in the room.
Genx-ile
Yea, I just couldn’t understand it. One of the worst offenders I knew was from a family worth hundreds of millions. I mean this dude was so black he looked purple-always had the nicest things, new Mercedes in his early 20s etc. but he was constantly getting busted for stealing shit- I mean anything. You could almost hear his ancestral drums thumping feverishly in the background as his eyes glazed over- it was like he was in the zone and nothing was going to stop him from whatever ill conceived plan his fuzzy cranium had hatched. He would fly to Europe on break and fuck prostitutes in Paris, and be back the following semester coring out his 6′ blonde girlfriend with his elephant trunk warthog. Meanwhile I’m at discipline committee for motorcycle wheelies down at the quad. On the dope dealing- thats an Rkelly “real talk” right there. I had my room torn apart a couple of times- no dice. But then again, I use my head for something other than a hat rack.
MIGS
Blacks are not smart dope dealers. This was in the mid-90’s in my college and the guy was just selling dime bags out of his room of and the RA’s came in and found a pound of weed.
Another middle-class black who was a senior with a nearly completed degree in engineering was robbing people at ATM’s.
What’s odd is that most white felons become criminals at age 11 or 12 like the Clockwork Orange character and that is that.
But blacks would get all the way into their 20’s in college and then, for no reason, they would out of the blue commit a vicious random felony crime.
The reason is obvious, they are the cursed race. They are all like this. Bring back segregation. (i am black by the way)
Good point EasyLife. I appreciate a person or group of people who respect their integrity. These guys acted like entitled children. We shouldn’t be owing anyone bc of it. Overriding consequences benefits gwnerates ignorance and benefits no one.
He was only shoplifting n shiet
I just watched the video.
No one should ever intervene.
Let people solve the problems they create. This is right.
lol, why am I not surprised this article and none of the comments mentioned Jack Ma, the man who reached out on behalf of the UCLA players to get them out of jail and out of China. Sorry to break the circle jerk but Jack Ma had more to do with getting these guys out of the country than Trump.
Better question is did Jack Ma spot an opportunity for Taobao to gain ground with the U.S market? Hangzhou went to shit after they hosted the G20. Fucking 杭州人 are probably still talking about.
Negro entitlement.
Nothing more, nothing less, nothing new.
I think trumps plan was to get them out and he’d have blacks praising him for taking care of their boys. Clearly it back fired.
Catch 22…if he left them in there it would have been because he’s a racist. Personally I would have let them rot there for a bit.
Catering to blacks has never worked for conservatives, if anything it’s hurt them even more.
Say what you will about Communists, but when it comes to tomfoolery, they don’t give a damn. And I hear the Chinese are xenophobic and especially don’t like blacks very much, so the price they would have paid for stealing expensive knick knacks would have been high. I wonder if the Chinese have labor camps.
And I’m sorry Trumpophiles, but this is a strike against him. He should have left them there as punishment, but decided to go the “they’re good kids and are good playing ball” route. And now he feels dumb. Or maybe Ivanka convinced him. Who knows.
If he hadn’t done anything the mainstream media would have condemned him, likely calling him racist. For Trump it’s a lose-lose situation. Maybe he wanted to see if the Chinese leaders were willing to go along with his request to see where he stood.
Or maybe he felt as President he had to do what he did.
Wow! The comments on this site are ruthless. As a black guy living in england. I obviously have zero experience of american culture. I actually read this site everyday and digest the articles constantly with an unbiased mindset. Much of what I see in british society is definitely reflected in these articles. And as black culture goes I myself have lived the stereotype, but I also like to buck the trend when it suits me. One thing I know for sure. If it was me that was caught stealing. I would not have seen the light of day in China and my parents would not have defended me on TV either! It goes to show no matter your race, the higher up you are on the social scale the more entitlement, privilege and get out of jail cards are granted on you!
Incorrect, it goes to show that blacks have very little intelligence. No gratitude either. Just because you might happen to be an exception, it doesn’t mean your people are generally a shitty people.
Daniel
Genetically American blacks (As oppose to UK blacks who are Afro-Caribbean or African) interbred with Ulster Scots in the US South and it is believed that this cultural/racist fusion is what makes the US black so anti-social.
American blacks were bred as beasts of burden. Low IQ, developed physique. Never should’ve been assimilated after Slavery ended.
Don’t give me that mock surprise at the white disdain displayed here. I know, you know, we all know that black people are unbelievably racist towards whites. And we all know the black disdain towards whites used to be justified based on older history (especially if you ignore things like black slave owners in Africa). And, likewise, we all know that the white disdain is more than justified based on recent history. So, to recap, fuck your mock surprise.
What a bunch of fucking morons. Should be spending the next 4 years making Christmas lights with 200 Chinese in a room with no windows.
MICK
I have lived most of my adult life overseas and the few times a Westerner gets in serious trouble abroad it is a Negro or Mestizo.
The first time was when I was in Dubai and there was this Mexican US Marine. He hung around off-duty with Arab pimps and Russian hookers and he looked like Richard Ramirez on steroids with the same crazy stare and sweaty locks hanging down (His hair was long for a serviceman). I was a civilian 26 year old making more in one day than he did in a week and he did not like it and called out to me in a bar one night. Another time I was driving and saw him sitting off-duty on the side of the road and he grinned that crazy Richard Ramirez grin.
Next were some black Navy guys who went off the ship into a KFC in Dubai and started mouthing off to some Arabs and got into a brawl just 20 minutes off the ship.
Finally was Philippines where some black guy was such an asshole (Retired Sergeant) that some Filipinos broke into his house and stabbed him with screwdrivers.
Blacks and Mestizos are stupid and life outside the US for expats is an IQ test.
Funny how the common denominator here is time in the armed forces.
‘IQ test’ huh? That’s quite true, the many who failed that little exam give me and some of my buddies a good laugh when we remember their remedial asses. Knew a guy who’d come to China with his family when he was 18 who’d been living the life of Riley get his ass time in Chinese detention and promptly deported for jumping a subway turnstile (he’d been arrested before for posession of drugs, but was left off for being white). While family had to leave as well when the police showed up for an inspection of their apartment and found some very interesting things. God knows what he’s doing in his home country for he has no marketable skills.
Still, he managed to save himself about 20 cents on that subway ticket, wonder if it was worth it.
Almost every major foreign incident in Japan and Korea involves 1 or more black service members.
CHIMPOUTS are common overseas and especially Asia-I don’t know why but you have to remember that North American society has evolved around minorities to a certain degree where as other countries have not.
Generally it seems to be “culture shock”. When your IQ is 87 it is harder to process all of this. From the moment US minorities arrive they seem to have an attitude and most of them don’t last.
That was my experience as well in the USMC, thank God in the unit I was in charge of, no Dindu’s made it, and if any of my guys got in trouble in a foreign country they were double effed if they got out. So I really didn’t have the problems that other units did with dindus and mexican’ts.
He should be in jail
and his son should be chemically castrated
…bro
Banjo
Lip
Mooncrickets
I’m no big fan of President Trump but showing such ingratitude is disgusting.
What’s more, doing so might make it more difficult for him to intercede in the future: “if Americans, including the RELATIVES, don’t care, then why should I,” might think the other nation’s leader.
The media’s reaction to Trump’s complaint really was just as bad as the ingratitude.