LaVar Ball strikes philosophical tone in brief interview

LaVar Ball leaves the restaurant of a Shanghai hotel Wednesday, the day after his son LiAngelo was reportedly arrested for shoplifting with two UCLA teammates.

LaVar Ball leaves the restaurant of a Shanghai hotel Wednesday, the day after his son LiAngelo was reportedly arrested for shoplifting with two UCLA teammates.

LaVar Ball was at UCLA’s team hotel Wednesday morning and granted an interview that was broken up after one question.

Ball, the famed basketball father and entrepreneur, is the father of UCLA freshman LiAngelo Ball, who was one of three UCLA players reportedly arrested Tuesday morning in Wangzhou, China, for shoplifting.

As he left breakfast at the hotel where UCLA is staying prior to its Saturday game against Georgia Tech, he pushed his wife Tina in a wheelchair while youngest son LaMelo kept pace. Sympathies were expressed to Ball for his son’s arrest by a reporter.

“Well, no, no, no,” Ball told the AJC. “You don’t have to be sorry about anything. Certain things happen and they happen and you go from there.”

At that point, an associate ended the interview, saying that Ball would be available to speak “later.” Ball reportedly had scheduled a news conference but then later canceled it due to the legal nature of the matter.