Liangelo Ball, brother of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, and two others described the time. UCLA players Arrested in China in 2017 after allegedly stealing designer sunglasses.
Ball, 26, was on tour as a member of the UCLA men’s basketball team when he went to a Louis Vuitton store next to the team’s hotel in Hangzhou and snagged a pair of sunglasses.
Ball reflected on the incident during a recent appearance on “Unapologetically Angel” with Angel Reese.
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Charlotte Hornets guard LiAngelo Ball before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports)
“I knew it was wrong. I was 18 years old, wrong place, wrong time, just making snap decisions dumb s—, so I don’t know how to explain. Everybody wants me to come up with this long– story, I don’t know how to explain it,” Ball said.
“I did what I did, and I knew s— was wrong and then that was it. It’s been seven, eight years. I haven’t been in trouble since.”
Ball said that he knew immediately that he had made a mistake.
“I couldn’t think of anything back then, I just knew the s— was going south. I don’t know, when I walked out of the store, I thought, ‘Damn.’ I said (to my teammates), ‘Like, yeah, we did it,'” Ball said.
“I knew s— f—– was wrong, bro.”
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Charlotte Hornets forward LiAngelo Ball during an NBA Summer League game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Cox Pavilion. (Stephen R. Silvani/USA TODAY Sports)
President Trump Fox News reported at the time that the President of the People’s Republic of China personally asked Xi Jinping to help resolve the matter involving Ball and two of his teammates, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill.
“I say to the three UCLA basketball players: You’re welcome, go out and give a big thank you to Chinese President Xi Jinping for making…
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“…Your release is possible and, have a good life! Be careful, there are many dangers on the long and winding path of life!” Trump wrote in separate social media posts in 2017.
After his career at UCLA, Ball was not selected 2018 NBA Draft. Ball played overseas in the Lithuanian Basketball League in 2018 instead of going to the NBA.
He played with the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association, a league founded by his father, LaVar Ball.
Charlotte Hornets forward LiAngelo Ball dribbles during an NBA Summer League game against the Chicago Bulls at the Thomas & Mack Center. (Stephen R. Silvani/USA TODAY Sports)
Ball then spent time in the NBA G-League from 2021-2023. Ball signed a 10-show contract Detroit Pistons in 2020 but was waived shortly after signing.
The Charlotte Hornets Signed him in 2021 and 2022, but was waived shortly after signing both times. Ball did not appear in an NBA regular-season game.
Ball’s brothers LaMelo and Lonzo are both in the NBA. LaMelo plays for the Charlotte Hornets and Lonzo does Chicago Bulls.
Fox News’ Brooke Syngman contributed to this report.
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