Trump made the request while in Beijing last week before departing Friday for Vietnam and the Philippines. He asked for Xi's help in settling the case quickly and ensuring that the players, all freshmen, were treated fairly, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told The Times.
LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill emerged publicly for the first time Monday and a school athletics official said they were "doing fine," though both their legal case and their standing as part of UCLA's basketball team remained unclear. It has been one week since the trio was first questioned about the alleged theft of designer sunglasses from an upscale store near the team's hotel.