Kristian Ferrell
In 2017, three UCLA basketball players were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting. The players—LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill—admitted to stealing items from three stores and thanked US President Donald Trump for helping secure their release. While Trump claimed that he raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping, some reports suggest that his involvement came after the case was resolved. Trump faced criticism for his role in the incident, particularly from LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo Ball, who questioned the extent of Trump's involvement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of UCLA basketball players involved | 3 |
| Names of players | LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill |
| Country where incident occurred | China |
| Incident | Shoplifting |
| Stores involved | 3 stores, including Louis Vuitton |
| Trump's role | Raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping |
| Outcome | Players released and returned to the US |
| Player's response | Apologized and thanked Trump and the US government |
| Trump's response | Accepted their thanks and later tweeted "I should have left them in jail!" |
| Criticism | Trump criticized for lashing out at players and their father, LaVar Ball |
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What You'll Learn
Trump's involvement in the UCLA shoplifting case
In 2017, three UCLA basketball players—LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill—were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting. The players admitted to stealing items from three stores and were indefinitely suspended from the UCLA basketball team. Upon their release, they apologised and thanked US President Donald Trump for his help in securing their freedom.
However, there are conflicting reports about the timing of Trump's involvement. According to a report by ESPN's Arash Markazi, Trump's intervention came after the case was resolved. Despite this, Trump claimed credit for the players' release and later lashed out at them on Twitter, saying, "I should have left them in jail!". He also criticised LaVar Ball, the father of one of the players, for questioning his role in the incident.
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Basketball players' apologies and gratitude towards Trump
Three UCLA basketball players—LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill—were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting. The players admitted to stealing items from three stores and apologised for their actions. They also thanked US President Donald Trump for his help in securing their release.
In their first public comments since being detained, the players expressed gratitude to Trump for raising the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit. Specifically, Ball and Riley mentioned the president in their apologies, with the former stating:
> I'd like to start off by saying sorry for stealing from the stores in China. I didn't exercise my best judgment. [...] Thank you to the United States government for all the help they provided as well.
Riley, on the other hand, said:
> I take responsibility for the mistake I have made - shoplifting. I know that this goes beyond me letting my school down, but I let the entire country down. To President Trump and the United States government, thank you for taking the time to intervene on our behalf.
Despite the players' apologies and gratitude, there are conflicting reports regarding the timing of Trump's involvement. According to ESPN's Arash Markazi, Trump's intervention occurred after the case was resolved. Additionally, Trump faced criticism on Twitter for his previous disparaging comments about black athletes who had protested police brutality. Furthermore, Trump later lashed out at the players on Twitter, stating that he "should have left them in jail".
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Trump's criticism of black athletes
In 2017, three UCLA basketball players were detained in China for shoplifting. They were released after the intervention of the US President, Donald Trump, and subsequently apologised for their actions. However, Trump's critics pointed out that he had previously been less supportive of black athletes who had taken a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
Trump's treatment of black athletes has been described as "wrath", contrasting sharply with his treatment of outspoken white sports figures. For example, he did not respond to criticism of his Muslim travel ban by white NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich. Similarly, when soccer player Megan Rapinoe stated that she would not go to the White House, Trump still invited her and her team.
Trump has also been accused of using sports as a platform for his politics. In 2016, when Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest police violence during the national anthem, Trump criticised NFL players for protesting during the anthem, stating that they would not be punished. In 2020, athletes were relentless in stating that Black Lives Matter, and Trump was unable to break their political spirit.
Trump has also been criticised for his stance on transgender athletes. He has threatened to cut federal funding to California if the state continues to allow transgender athletes to compete in women's sports, stating that it is "NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS".
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Trump's tweet: I should have left them in jail
In 2017, three UCLA basketball players, including LiAngelo Ball, were arrested in China for shoplifting. The players were released after the US president, Donald Trump, intervened by speaking with Chinese president Xi Jinping. Following their return, Trump took to Twitter to ask the players to give him credit for bringing them back. While the players thanked Trump at a press conference, LaVar Ball, LiAngelo's father, downplayed Trump's involvement in his son's release. In response, Trump tweeted, "Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!".
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later clarified that Trump's tweet was "a rhetorical response to a criticism of the father" and that the president did not believe that the players should have been left in jail. She added that Trump's words should not be taken literally and that he took action to help get the individuals released and brought back to the country.
Trump's tweet sparked a debate, with some people criticizing him for intervening in the case and others questioning the timing and extent of his involvement. According to a report by ESPN's Arash Markazi, Trump's involvement in the case did not occur until after the players' release had already been secured. Despite the criticism, the incident highlighted the complexities of international relations and the potential consequences of shoplifting in China, where the punishment for such an offense is stringent.
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Trump's response to LaVar Ball's comments
In 2017, three UCLA basketball players, including LaVar Ball's son, LiAngelo Ball, were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting. The players were released after US President Donald Trump raised their case with President Xi Jinping of China during a visit to Beijing. All three players apologised for their actions and thanked Trump for his intervention. However, LaVar Ball downplayed Trump's involvement, stating that shoplifting was "no big deal".
In response to Ball's comments, Trump took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction, tweeting:
> Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!
Trump's tweet sparked a back-and-forth between the president and Ball, with Ball responding in an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo:
> If you help, you shouldn't have to say anything. If I helped somebody, I don't walk around saying, 'You know I helped you now? Come on! Give me some love!'
The incident attracted media attention, with some criticising Trump's involvement and his expectation of gratitude from the players. Despite the controversy, the players expressed their gratitude towards Trump and the US government for securing their release.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Trump helped three UCLA basketball players who were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting.
Trump raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit.
The three players—LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill—apologised for shoplifting and thanked Trump for his help.
Some sources, including ESPN's Arash Markazi, claim that Trump's involvement came after the case was resolved.
Yes, Trump faced criticism on Twitter for his involvement, as well as for his previous criticism of black US athletes. Additionally, LaVar Ball, the father of one of the players, questioned Trump's role in resolving the matter.
