Trump provides the Big bail-out for Balls
The next time we hear from LaVar Ball, the world’s loudest father just might say something along the lines of, “Donald Trump is a Big Baller.” It was inevitable that two unabashed self-promoters, LaVar and President Trump, would intersect on a grand scale. And that’s a lucky break for LaVar, his middle son LiAngelo and two other UCLA freshmen. Because without the help of the White House, the three “knuckleheads” – that’s what the Trump Administration called them — could be doing 3 to 10 years in a Chinese prison.
Instead, Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were back on U.S. soil by Tuesday night, living the privileged life of a scholarship athlete on the prestigious Westwood campus.
Their punishment has yet to be decided, although UCLA’s athletic department has suspended them indefinitely for shoplifting from three high-end stores in Hangzhou, China.
A season-long suspension may result in all three transferring and would likely end UCLA’s relationship with the Ball family. You have to believe Bruins head coach Steve Alford is considering the benefits of that divorce.
At the very least, ban the three freshmen from traveling to road games, including the Pac-12 Conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Alford called their crime an “inexcusable lack of judgment” and now the UCLA administration has a chance to prove it.
There’s nothing wrong with giving them a second chance, even if they created an embarrassing international incident for their families, their school, their country and maybe the NCAA if that is even possible.
Why the NCAA ever signed off on sending UCLA and Georgia Tech to play a basketball game in China with school in session goes beyond reason. The game could have been played over Thanksgiving break, but that makes too much sense. Hopefully, the players understand just how fortunate they are to be back on a college campus. Time will tell.
The same could be said for how athletes view the President. With his approval rating among NFL REUTERS and NBA players lower than Lonzo Ball’s shooting percentage, the President did right by three basketball players from a prominent college.
You would think he has the support of LiAngelo Ball, Hill, Riley and their families. And if UCLA were to win the championship, they won’t be debating whether or not to visit the White House.
“Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!” is what the President tweeted Wednesday.
That tweet is akin to a touchdown dance. Five hours later, the three players, all reading from prepared statements, admitted their guilt, expressed remorse, thanked the Chinese government, the Chinese police and President Trump.
It was an interesting mix of basketball diplomacy, smart politics, good timing, as well as athlete privilege. Or do you honestly believe any ordinary college students arrested for shoplifting would grab the attention of the White House?
This was different. The Pac-12 China Game is sponsored by Alibaba, an e-commerce giant based in Hangzhou. The company cofounder Joe Tsai recently agreed to buy a stake in the Brooklyn Nets. That’s a billionaire with a vested interest in the sport.
Also, according to a White House spokesman, President Trump, while in Beijing last week, had asked China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to look into the case and requested that the three UCLA players be treated fairly.
“Our president said to Xi, ‘Do you know anything about these knuckleheads that got caught allegedly stealing?’ ” John Kelly, the president’s chief of staff, told The New York Times. “The president was saying, ‘It’s not too serious. We’d love to see this taken care of in an expeditious way.’”
All the while LaVar and his youngest son LaMelo were in Hong Kong to market his $495 Big Baller Brand shoes.
LaMelo verbally committed to UCLA but at this rate he is a walking NCAA violation waiting to happen. Plus, there are already whispers he will try to turn pro, possibly in Europe, after he graduates LaVar Ball High School in two years.
That’s right, LaMelo is currently being home schooled by LaVar, so feel free to draw your own conclusions. It is interesting that those who were touting LaVar as a marketing genius and assuring us that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Dads on the first ballot are suddenly quiet.
LaVar is also silent, for now. This has to be a humbling experience.
The President did the Ball family a solid. LaVar may want to consider mailing a pair of those Big Baller shoes to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.