LiAngelo Ball’s shoplifting scandal in China made a dent in Lavar Ball and the Big Baller Brand’s reputation.

The University of California Los Angeles’s (UCLA) shooting guard was caught shoplifting from a high end retail store, Louis Vuitton, while in China.

UCLA was in China for their season opener against Georgia Tech University. The three players were unable to play in the game due to China’s authorities charging them with shoplifting.

LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were arrested in China on charges of shoplifting but have recently been allowed to return to the United States on Tuesday. What their punishment will be at UCLA is yet to be determined.

According to Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott, the three boys will return home in a statement released Tuesday.

“The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities,” Scott said. “We are all very pleased that these young men have been allowed to return home to their families and university.”

However, this is a bad look for the Ball family who has marketed themselves and their company as a high end clothing brand. Having the middle son caught shoplifting harms the Big Baller Brand which will make it difficult to moving forward. The Big Baller Brand was already receiving a lot of criticism for their outlandish prices for t-shirts and shoes and with LiAngelo shoplifting stunt, the brand is temporarily tainted with that image. Now when people think about the Big Baller Brand, they will think of shoplifting and if I were Lavar, that would make me angry.

Now many will say that this was just an immature teenager doing teenager things. But since when is being a teenager an excuse for being a thief? If this were any other 18-year-old, they would be treated like an adult. LiAngelo should not have had the urge to steal since he has a brother who is a multi millionaire playing in the NBA for one of the most profitable team in the league.

For LiAngelo driving a Ferrari while being caught stealing is a terrible look. What was the motive behind this stunt? The UCLA shooting guard is wealthy enough and has the money to purchase the items he attempted to steal. This stunt comes off like a spoiled kid who thinks he’s above the law. LiAngelo owes a huge thank you to his privilege because if this were any other ordinary American stealing in China then this would not make the news, and that person would most likely face prosecution.

With China having a 99.9 percent conviction rate last year, there is no doubt that his high stature as the brother of an NBA player helped LiAngelo get out of this situation. Minors face a 3-10 years in prison in China if they’re found guilty of theft.

The situation was so serious that President Trump had to get involved in the situation. Trump spoke with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping to convince him to drop the charges on the three students.

“I had a great conversation,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday before leaving from Manila. “What they did was unfortunate. You’re talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games. He was terrific and they’re working on it right now.”

The Big Baller Brand was lucky to be saved by President Trump and thankfully, LiAngelo will return home. Their impending punishment to be faced is uncertain, however the Big Baller Brand took a major hit on their public image.