President Trump on Wednesday questioned whether the UCLA basketball players who returned to the United States after they were arrested on shoplifting charges last week are grateful Trump intervened in their case.
“Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2017
UCLA men’s basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were arrested for allegedly stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store in Hangzhou, China, last week. The three were released on bail last Wednesday, but were detained in China.
Trump raised the issue of their arrests with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the three basketball players were released and flew back to the U.S. late Tuesday.
“The basketball players, by the way — I know a lot of people are asking — I will tell you, when I heard about it two days ago, I had a great conversation with President Xi. What they did was unfortunate,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games.”
The three players, as well as UCLA coach Steve Alford and athletic director Dan Guerrero, are expected to deliver a statement on the arrests Wednesday.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott thanked Trump, the White House and State Department for their assistance in a statement Tuesday.
“We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities,” Scott said. “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.”
The UCLA men’s basketball team was in China for its season opener against Georgia Tech on Saturday.
