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On Tuesday, LiAngelo Ball proved compulsiveness runs in the family when he was arrested for shoplifting in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Police accused Ball and two of his UCLA teammates of stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store, and the trio is currently holed up at their hotel in the city as they await their fate, which could carry up to a ten-year prison sentence.
However, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says they might be able to avoid imprisonment in favor of a few weeks of house arrest and a permanent ban from China:
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.
The three players, LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley, could serve the punishment at the hotel where the UCLA and Georgia Tech teams stayed in Hangzhou, the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou.
The New York Post talked with a law professor who is familiar with China’s legal system who said the three players might be in the country for months as the case unfolds. Chinese officials have up to 37 days to officially charge the players, who could be confined to their hotel for months during an additional investigation. Considering the country has a conviction rate of 99 percent, it’s unlikely the Bruins will be able to leave the country without some form of punishment.
What does the ban mean for Ball? Well, if he fails to live up to his father’s lofty expectations and burns out in spectacular fashion, he’ll never be able to follow in the footsteps of Stephon Marbury and Tracy McGrady by making a new life for himself in China. That’d be a damn shame.