NBA Summer League star LiAngelo Ball says China shoplifting fallout ‘made me’
- ‘I’m not gonna let one decision mess up my whole life,’ says only Ball brother not in NBA after starring in Summer League
- The 22-year-old was one of three UCLA players arrested in Hangzhou on preseason tour in 2017
In 2017 ahead of the UCLA season Ball was part of a preseason tour to China where the Bruins team was playing Georgia Tech in annual Pac-12 overseas matches.
While the team were in Hangzhou, Ball and teammates Cody Riley and Jaden Hill were arrested after being accused of shoplifting sunglasses from a designer store.
This became an international incident with then-US president Donald Trump interjecting on behalf of the players as reports emerged that they could face jail in China. Ball was suspended indefinitely by UCLA before leaving. He has since played in Lithuania with BC Prienu Vytautas.
In an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic, Ball was asked how leaving UCLA after the incident shaped him.
“It made me who I am today. I done dealt with so much. I done heard everything – good and bad. Nothing really bothers me,” he said.
“My skin is thick. When I play today, I just keep that same energy. For sure, people cast judgment. I was young, I don’t look back on that. I just learned from it and kept pushing. I’m not gonna let one decision mess up my whole life.
The 22-year-old is the only one of the Ball brothers not in the NBA with younger brother LaMelo being named Rookie of the Year last season with the Charlotte Hornets and older brother Lonzo playing with the Chicago Bulls.
Ball played for the Hornets in the NBA Summer League.
