College Basketball

LaVar Ball’s son arrested in China for shoplifting; Twitter has a field day

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, UCLA's Lonzo Ball (2) greets his brother LiAngelo Ball, left, and father LaVar Ball, right, after scoring 20 points in their 114-77 win over Long Beach State at an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles. The UCLA Bruins open preparations for a new season with another Ball brother in the lineup. With Lonzo Ball off to the Lakers after one season, his middle brother LiAngelo takes up residence in Westwood. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, UCLA's Lonzo Ball (2) greets his brother LiAngelo Ball, left, and father LaVar Ball, right, after scoring 20 points in their 114-77 win over Long Beach State at an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles. The UCLA Bruins open preparations for a new season with another Ball brother in the lineup. With Lonzo Ball off to the Lakers after one season, his middle brother LiAngelo takes up residence in Westwood. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker, File) AP

LaVar Ball’s middle son has been arrested for shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store in China, ESPN is reporting.

LiAngelo Ball was one of three players from UCLA arrested in China before the Bruins’ season-opening game with Georgia Tech. The players were Ball -- younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball and older brother of Internet sensation LaMelo Ball -- and Cody Riley and Jalen Hill.

Riley and Hill are both 6-foot-8 freshmen forwards ranked in top 50 of the 2017 class by ESPN. But the biggest name was Ball, whose father has created a shoe brand and a social media presence around his personality and his son’s basketball abilities.

UCLA released a statement about the arrests.

"We are aware of a situation involving UCLA student-athletes in Hangzhou, China,” it read. “The University is cooperating fully with local authorities on this matter, and we have no further comment at this time."

Twitter had a quick response.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 4:52 PM with the headline "LaVar Ball’s son arrested in China for shoplifting; Twitter has a field day."

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