LiAngelo Ball and UCLA shoplifters stuck in China get an assist from… Trump?

UCLA played Georgia Tech in a college basketball game in Shanghai on Saturday, in a contest that UCLA won 63-60. But overshadowing the on-court action was what happened off the court last Tuesday, when three UCLA freshmen — including LiAngelo Ball, son of the outspoken LaVar Ball and younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball — were arrested for shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store in Shanghai. Not only did the three sit out Saturday’s game, but they stayed behind in China while the rest of the team flew back home.

The incident happened a day before President Donald Trump landed in Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The most headline-grabbing aspect of this saga? As the Washington Post reports:

Trump raised the arrests during a two-day state visit to Beijing, arriving a day after the three freshman players were accused of stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team’s hotel…. After Trump raised the matter, Xi promised to look into the case and ensure that the players are treated fairly and expeditiously, said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Sounds like a good use of political capital.

UPDATE, 3/7:

‘Only sorry they got caught’: New details about LiAngelo Ball and UCLA players arrested in China

• Basketball and U.S.-China relations
  Trump personally asked Xi Jinping to help resolve case of UCLA basketball players arrested in China / Washington Post (paywall)
  Three UCLA players arrested in China to stay behind as team flies home – report / The Guardian
  UCLA basketball players detained in China are ‘doing fine’ / LA Times (paywall)
  3 UCLA basketball players could be stuck in China ‘for months’ / CNN
• Cultural traditions
  Chinese village keeps alive a tradition of indigo dyeing / NYT (paywall)
• Live streaming
  Films of everyday farm scenes in China may not be Blue Planet but they are taking screens by storm / SCMP
• Air travel
  China Southern flight makes emergency landing / Sixth Tone
• Funerals
  Chinese eye alternative funerals as graveyard prices skyrocket / Forbes
• Education
  Changing rural education one girl at a time / Sixth Tone
  Chinese grads return home with degrees and disillusionment / Sixth Tone
  Why money can’t buy you knowledge — except in China / Sixth Tone