LaVar Ball has been surprisingly mum on the UCLA shoplifting scandal. Alas, not all good things last forever.
Ball’s son, LiAngelo Ball, was one of three UCLA players who recently were arrested for shoplifting in China. Rumors swirled of a possible three-to-10-year prison sentence, but the players ultimately were released and sent back to Los Angeles, thanks in part to United States President Donald Trump.
Trump asked for a ‘thank you,’ wound up getting one and ultimately responded in surprisingly normal fashion. Despite that, LaVar Ball isn’t ready to give POTUS any credit.
“Who?” Ball recently told ESPN’s Arash Markazi when asked about Trump’s involvement in the players’ releases. “What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”
That should go over well with Trump.
Ball didn’t stop there, though, as he also downplayed the severity of the players’ actions.
“As long as my boy’s back here, I’m fine,” Ball told ESPN. “I’m happy with how things were handled. A lot of people like to say a lot of things that they thought happened over there. Like I told him, ‘They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.’
“I’m from L.A. I’ve seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses. My son has built up enough character that one bad decision doesn’t define him.”
Despite Ball’s insistence on the situation not being a “big deal,” UCLA clearly has a different take on the matter, as it has suspended the players indefinitely, and reportedly is considering giving them season-long suspensions.
