UCLA beat Georgia Tech in China last night in a men’s college basketball game that probably happened while you were asleep.
If you missed it, you missed Bill Walton speaking about LiAngelo Ball, who is still in legal trouble in China after the UCLA freshman was arrested for shoplifting with two other UCLA players earlier in the week.
Walton — himself a UCLA alum and now ESPN broadcaster — apologized to China on behalf of the Bruins and also the rest of humanity early Saturday morning in an effort to chide LiAngelo and maybe offer a bit of goodwill to the host nation.
Walton said he was “sad and disappointed” about the incident, which “stained” the “noble purpose” of having the game overseas.
“Our host, Alibaba China, the people, they have been better than perfect in everything. They’ve done everything right to make this all work. Now, members of our family have displayed an appalling lack of honor, lack of respect, lack of decency by doing something in someone else’s home that they would never do in their own. And I want to apologize right now on behalf of the human race for this travesty.”
And in case you need a bit more Bill Walton, here’s him doing Tai Chi and threatening to take his shirt off.
Walton looks like he’s having a much better trip than LiAngelo has had, though the middle ball child will likely have to stay there a lot longer than the rest of the UCLA contingency.