Trump pleads with Xi Jinping to treat fairly the case of 3 top US basketballers caught stealing LV sunglasses

Before leaving China for Vietnam on his tour of Asia last week, President Donald Trump personally spoke with Chinese President Xi Jingping in an attempt to resolve the case of three UCLA basketball players being held in Hangzhou on charges of shoplifting, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Arriving a day after Bruins freshman LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill were arrested and accused of stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton location near the team hotel, Trump addressed the arrests during his stay in Beijing. Xi reportedly responded by saying he will make sure the players are treated fairly and expeditiously. Hill, Riley, and Ball - the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo - were arrested early Tuesday morning after being interrogated for several hours at the team hotel in Hangzhou. The Bruins were in China for Friday's season opener against Georgia Tech. The three accused players did not play in UCLA's 63-60 win.