When UCLA and Georgia Tech scheduled their game in China, no one would have thought it would lead to a minor international incident, but that’s the case after three UCLA players — LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill, and Cody Riley — were arrested for shoplifting earlier in the week.
The three players have been released on bail and held at the team’s hotel in Hangzhou as they await the outcome of the legal process. There were early reports that they could face severe jail time under Chinese law, although LaVar Ball insisted it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it appears as though the three players will avoid significant jail time if the latest report is true.
Ken Suguira of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there to cover Georgia Tech, reports the three players will most likely face nearly three weeks under house arrest and then will be banned from returning to the country once sent back to the States.
There is a strong likelihood that the three UCLA basketball players arrested Tuesday for shoplifting in Hangzhou, China, will face 20 days of house arrest and then not be permitted to visit the country again, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Suguira reports the players could serve that sentence at the hotel, where they have remained since being released on bail. The two teams will play on Saturday in Shanghai, and the three UCLA players arrested will not participate, but the school did not confirm nor deny to Suguira whether his report on their punishment was accurate.
