Former UCLA basketball player LiAngelo Ball claims that his message of thanks to President Trump for freeing him from a Chinese prison was forced by the school.
Ball, better known for being the little brother of Lonzo and son to the painfully ignorant Lavar than for his basketball skills, was arrested along with two other UCLA players when they were caught shoplifting in Hangzhou.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the players were facing the possibility of “serving up to ten years for allegedly stealing from a Louis Vuitton store.”
“His credit card was declined and that triggered the shoplifting. There was only one kid that stole from all three stores and that was LiAngelo Ball.” — @WhitlockJason pic.twitter.com/QJhyDSJfQH
— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) December 7, 2017
Trump, who happened to be on a diplomatic trip to Asia at the time, spoke directly to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the matter, and the players were released pretty quickly.
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
Any reasonable person would have immediately thanked the President for saving them from a Chinese prison for years, and at first, it seemed like that is what LiAngelo did. But this is the Big Baller family, where reason is not a virtue often exercised.
Now LiAngelo claims his thank you to the President was forced.
“My school wanted to hear it,” he recalled. “Before I went up there, it was like, ‘You’ve got to thank him.’ I just threw him in there real quick right before I gave my speech … If they didn’t tell me to do it, it wouldn’t have been in there, to be honest.”
LiAngelo Ball: UCLA Made Me Thank @POTUS After China Shoplifting Arrest https://t.co/FSFyaLaIaA pic.twitter.com/7rNgndveUT
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 14, 2017
This change in story is almost undoubtedly coming at the demand of LiAngelo’s daddy, who has had an ongoing verbal feud with Trump.
And by ‘feud’ we mean the same as if a hammer and a nail had a ‘feud.’ Trump is the hammer, and little baller Lavar is the nail. It’s a bit one-sided.
There is little doubt had the President not intervened, Ball would have been facing years in prison, not just for the crime, but waiting for a trial. There is no due process in China. You might have learned that if you actually attended a class or two at UCLA, LiAngelo.
Lavar has since pulled LiAngelo from UCLA where he was facing a likely suspension for his criminal actions – because that’s a Ball family tradition: avoiding responsibility. He has signed a one-year contract to play basketball in Lithuania.
Any chance you can bring your dad with you?
What do you think of Ball’s comments on Trump? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
