LiAngelo Ball and two of his UCLA teammates who were arrested for shoplifting in China, have been released on bail according to ESPN. Ball and two other freshmen basketball players, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, were questioned about stealing from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team's hotel in Hangzhou, where they had been staying before leaving for Shanghai on Wednesday.
LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were taken to the police station in Hangzhou yesterday afternoon, where they remained for hours. According to ESPN, UCLA representatives, including coach Steve Alford, were at the police station along with the players.
Per ESPN,
"The players were treated with the utmost respect, kindness and professionalism at all times by the Hangzhou police," the source, who had firsthand knowledge of the release, told ESPN. "The players questioned were respectful at all times. None of this was confrontational."
The three players were released and stayed at a luxury hotel in Hangzhou with a UCLA team representative. They're required to stay there until the legal process is over and will obviously miss the team's season-opener against Georgia Tech in Shanghai on November 11th.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel reports that a lawyer informed him Ball, Riley and Hill could face three to 10 years if convicted of shoplifting.
William Nee, a Hong Kong-based researcher of the Chinese court system for Amnesty International, told Yahoo Sports,
"I would say they could be in quite a bit of trouble if they have solid proof that they shoplifted," Nee said of the players' situation. "However, part of it will depend on whether their lawyers, the university, or the U.S. consulate can advocate and negotiate on their behalf."
The usually talkative LaVar didn't have much to say when approached by reporters, but noted that "it ain't that big a deal."
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