LiAngelo Ball is in legitimate trouble.
The middle Ball boy and two UCLA teammates were caught on tape stealing items from luxury good stores in Hangzhou, China, where the team played their season-opener against Georgia Tech on Friday
UCLA returned to the United States after the game. But the three players stayed behind and will be held under house arrest in the team hotel until a decision whether to charge them is made. This could take a few weeks.
If they are charged, they could face 3-8 years in jail and a court system which has a 99 percent conviction rate.
President Donald Trump happened to be in China last week. During his trip, he asked Chinese president Xi Jinping to resolve the case.
Donald Trump asked the president of China to resolve the UCLA shoplifting casehttps://t.co/6zi11nPeGq
— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 13, 2017
According to the Washington Post, the Chinese government is now considering reducing the charges against the players.
Donald Trump doesn't have the best track-record with negotiations since he became President. But it's possible this is more up his alley than, say, healthcare.