3 UCLA basketball players suspended after theft in China

Three UCLA basketball players detained for shoplifting at three high-end stores in China publicly apologized Wednesday before coach Steve Alford announced they were being suspended indefinitely.

Freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley won’t be allowed to suit up, practice or travel with the team while the university continues to sort out the circumstances of last week’s incident in Hangzhou, China, Alford said during a news conference at Pauley Pavilion.

“These are good young men who have exercised an inexcusable lapse of judgment and now they have to live with that,” Alford said. “They let a lot people down in the process.” “I’m confident that they have already begun to use this experience as a life lesson,” he added.

The No. 23 Bruins edged Central Arkansas 106-101 in overtime in their home opener on Wednesday night.

Ball, Hill and Riley took turns confessing to the theft and apologizing while also thanking President Donald Trump for intervening on their behalf with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The players had returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday after Chinese authorities withdrew the charges against them.

“I’m sorry for stealing from the stores in China,” said Ball, the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, who played last season at UCLA.