Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
The Hill: Trump: I should have left UCLA basketball players in jail
President Trump on Sunday lashed out at the father of a UCLA basketball player who downplayed Trump’s importance in getting his son released from shoplifting charges in China.
“Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!” Trump tweeted.
LaVar Ball's son, LiAngelo Ball, and two other players were arrested and accused of shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store while the UCLA basketball team was on a trip to China for its season-opening game.
The players faced potential jail sentences for the charge, but Trump reportedly spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about resolving the situation. The players were released, and landed in the United States last week.
Read more ....
Update #1: LaVar Ball downplays Donald Trump's role in UCLA freshmen's release (ESPN)
Update #2: Trump dunks on UCLA star's controversial father, says he should have left players 'in jail' (Fox News)
Update #3: Trump fires back at LaVar Ball for saying he did nothing to help UCLA players in China (Chicago Tribune).
WNU Editor: As I had mentioned in a post 4 days ago, these basketball players were extremely lucky that President Trump intervened .... The Case Of Three UCLA Basketball Players Held In China For Shoplifting (November 15, 2017). I helped a family a few years back whose son did the same crime in China, and he was facing 3 - 10 years in jail. Am I exaggerating on the prison sentence .... nope .... Lavar Ball’s son LiAngelo Ball could face 10 years in jail for theft in China (Rolling Out). Now we have this father speaking out on what he thinks about the entire episode .... that President Trump did nothing. Are you kidding me!!!! They were released because of President Trump .... not because one of them is LaVar Ball's son. But while this story is now making the rounds on the U.S. news and sports networks ....the bigger impact is in China where this story is now being reported. The Chinese know that these players were released as a favor to President Trump .... but this ungrateful and disrespectful response from the father .... while he meant it to be directed at President Trump .... for many Chinese (if not all of them) is being directed at them.
