While it seems unlikely that LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill will get to return to the United States in time for UCLA's home opener against Central Arkansas on Wednesday (November 15), their period of house arrest looks like it may be shortened thanks to President Trump significantly.
It was reported by David Nakamura of the Washington Post on Monday that Trump has personally asked that Chinese President Xi Jinping step in and resolve the matter as swiftly as possible. According to the report, Chief of Staff John F. Kelly has been helping mitigate the repercussions that Ball, Riley, and Hill were likely to face while serving as an intermediary between the university and Chinese officials.
Trump and elite members of his cabinet are currently enjoying the tail end of a five-nation 12-day trip across Asia. The administration arrived on the continent one day after the UCLA men's basketball team touched the ground for an overseas excursion that included a game against Georgia Tech on Friday. Unfortunately Ball, Riley, and Hill could not participate in the game because they've been relegated to a Hangzhou hotel while they await the legal process to play out over a shoplifting charge they incurred for stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store.
Source: tmz.com
