UCLA Suspends Basketball Players In China Theft Incident

LOS ANGELES, CA — The three UCLA Basketball players at the heart of an international incident when they were arrested in China on shoplifting charges have been suspended from the team.

According to basketball head coach Steve Alford, the three players have been suspended indefinitely from the team. They will not travel with the team or suit-up for home games, and they will remain suspended as the players go through the university's disciplinary review process.

The trio — freshman players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill — were detained last Tuesday on suspicion of shoplifting sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team's hotel in Hangzhou. ESPN reported Monday that Chinese authorities have surveillance video showing the players taking merchandise from as many as three upscale shops.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said Tuesday the players will to through the university's disciplinary process.
"I want to be clear that we take seriously any violations of the law," Block said. "In this particular case, both Athletics and the Office of Student Conduct will review this incident and guide any action with respect to the involved students. Such proceedings are confidential, which limits the specific information that can be shared."

LiAngelo Ball's brother is Los Angeles Laker Lonzo Ball.

Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to suggest that the three young men give thanks to him for intervening on their behalf. The players promptly did so.

Riley thanked President Donald Trump for his help resolving the shoplifting case against him and two of his teammates in China. "We really appreciate you helping us out," he said. Hill followed suit also thanking President Donald Trump for his help resolving the shoplifting case.

"President Xi has been terrific on that subject," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Tuesday. "But that was not a good subject. That was not something that should have happened....What they did was unfortunate. You know, you're talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games."

Watch: UCLA Players Apologize, Get Suspended

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City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: LiAngelo Ball, brother Lakers Star Lonzo Ball (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)