LiAngelo Ball never played a meaningful game for the UCLA bruins due to his high-profile arrest in China in 2017, but his name is apparently still synonymous with the school for opposing fans.
When UCLA visited Notre Dame for their matchup on Saturday, fans of the Fighting Irish serenaded the Bruins on the court with LiAngelo Ball chants, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times:
Earlier the students had chanted "We want Gelo!"
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) December 14, 2019
Bolch also reported Notre Dame’s fans mocked Jalen Hill, who was one of the three UCLA players arrested for shoplifting in China in 2017 along with Ball:
The teams combined to make five of their first 26 shots, leaving it up to the saucy Notre Dame students to provide the fun. They serenaded Hill with chants of “How was China?” when he shot free throws, referring to his international shoplifting incident from two years ago, and got even shrewder in the second half.
Ultimately, it was just playful taunting from a hostile home crowd, but it’s also a sign of how hard it’s going to be for Ball to shake that reputation. For someone that’s hoping to land a job in the NBA, that’s bad news, and the fact that he made light of the situation not too long ago probably doesn’t help his case.
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Even if Ball proves he’s talented enough to play in the NBA, his China scandal is something that he’ll have to overcome, which is clearly easier said than done.