Donald Trump is said to have played a big role in helping the three UCLA players who were arrested for shoplifting in China avoid serious legal trouble, but LaVar Ball didn’t exactly thank the U.S. president for his help. You can probably guess how Trump reacted to the lack of gratitude.
Over the weekend, Ball — whose son LiAngelo was one of the three UCLA freshmen who were arrested — downplayed Trump’s role in helping to sort out the situation.
“Who?” Ball told ESPN’s Arash Markazi. “What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”
Ball went on to say people were trying to “make a big deal out of nothing” and that he has “seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses.” On Sunday, Trump unloaded on Ball for being so ungrateful and said he should have let the Big Baller Brand founder’s son go to prison.
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
We just knew this would somehow result in a war of words between Ball and Trump. LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill thanked Trump for his role in helping to get the charges dropped, but LaVar obviously feels the president did very little.
Shoplifting is a serious offense in China. Whether you like Trump or not, all indications are that he helped the three UCLA players avoid some serious punishment.
