Three UCLA players arrested in China suspended indefinitely

LOS ANGELES — 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. The No. 23 Bruins narrowly avoided further embarrassment when they beat Central Arkansas 106-101 in overtime at home on Wednesday night.

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.

“These are good young men who have exercised an inexcusable lapse of judgment and now they have to live with that,” Alford said.

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.

When it was his turn, Hill said, “I’m sorry for shoplifting. What I did was stupid.”

Riley was the first to speak and he thanked the Pac-12 Conference, UCLA administrators and teammates.

Athletic director Dan Guerrero also spoke at the news conference, but no one took questions.