U.S. President Donald Trump talks about his 12-day Asian tour that brought him to five countries in Asia, with the final stop in the Philippines for ASEAN Summit Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Republished November 14, 2017 - 8:46 AM
Original Publication Date November 14, 2017 - 2:01 AM
LOS ANGELES - Three UCLA basketball players detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting are on a plane back to Los Angeles.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said Tuesday the matter "has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities."
Freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were detained in Hangzhou for questioning following allegations of shoplifting last week before the 23rd-ranked Bruins beat Georgia Tech in their season-opening game in Shanghai as part of the annual Pac-12 China game. Ball is the brother of LA Lakers guard Lonzo Ball.
The rest of the UCLA team returned to Los Angeles last Saturday without the three.
There was no immediate word from UCLA on the players' status for the team's home opener Wednesday night against Central Arkansas.
The school said the three players, along with coach Steve Alford and athletic director Dan Guerrero, will make their first public comments about the matter on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, but won't take questions.
A person with knowledge of the Pac-12's decision said any discipline involving the players would be up to UCLA. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference doesn't plan any sanctions.
Scott thanked President Donald Trump, the White House and the State Department for their efforts in resolving what he called "the incident with authorities in Hangzhou, China." He indicated that UCLA made "significant efforts" on behalf of its three players.
Trump said Tuesday he had a long conversation about the three players' status with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
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News from © The Associated Press, 2017