It looks like LiAngelo Ball & his two UCLA teammates who were detained an extra week in China have finally landed back home on U.S soil. TMZ reports that Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley just touched down at LAX airport moments ago following a 13-hour flight out from Shanghai, China.
The guys had been holed up at the Hyatt Hangzhou for the past week while the school and even President Trump worked on their release. The guys were arrested last Tuesday on shoplifting charges at three designer stores at a mall next to to their hotel, including Louis Vuitton sunglasses.
Reports were initially saying that three UCLA players could face up to 10 years in prison for their crime, but it appears they got the break of their lives as Chinese officials reportedly dropped the shoplifting charges altogether today, which also means the kids have clean records again.
UCLA says the school will launch its own investigation to decide whether or not to discipline the players, but a suspension of some sorts will probably be handed down if had to guess.
The news first broke earlier today that the UCLA trio were coming home, and Pac-12 commissioner Larry made the following statement upon their release:
"The three UCLA men's basketball student-athletes involved in the incident with authorities in Hangzhou, China are on a flight back home to Los Angeles, and the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities. We are all very pleased that these young men have been allowed to return home to their families and university.
"We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities. We also want to acknowledge UCLA's significant efforts on behalf of their student-athletes. Finally, we want to thank the President, the White House and the U.S. State Department for their efforts towards resolution.”
Check out the footage TMZ captured of the trio getting onto plane (below). We’ll keep you posted on this developing story.