Trump Calls LaVar Ball 'Very Ungrateful' After Response to China Shoplifting Incident
President Trump took a shot at LaVar Ball via social media, calling him "very ungrateful" after explaining how shoplifting, the crime his son LiAngelo Ball is accused off in China, carries a prison term of five to ten years.
LaVar Ball denied in an earlier interview with ESPN that President Trump has been instrumental in freeing his son and two others from the UCLA's troubled visit in China. "What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out," he said last weekend, as quoted by Bleacher Report.
He was referring to a remark Trump said to reporters, when he shared his discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the incident. "I had a great conversation with President Xi," the U.S. President said at the time.
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"What they did was unfortunate. You know, you're talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games," the President added.
LiAngelo Ball and two other UCLA basketball players, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley, were held in custody after allegedly stealing from three stores in China.
The stores had surveillance video footage of the three "stealing Louis Vuitton sunglasses," according to the Daily Mail. The crime that they were accused of was a very serious charge, as Trump repeated this Monday.
"Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar," Trump pointed out in his Twitter post.
"Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!" he added.
Meanwhile, LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill apologized for the incident and thanked President Donald Trump for his supposed role in their release. The three UCLA players are currently suspended indefinitely, and will not be included in travel or practice sessions.
"They will have to earn their way back," UCLA basketball Head coach Steve Alford said, as quoted by Sports Illustrated.
