LaVar Ball, the father of a UCLA basketball player who was detained in China last month for shoplifting, says President Trump has not yet thanked him for the three pairs of “patriotic” shoes he sent the president.
Ball on CNN’s “New Day” said Tuesday he sent the president three pairs of red, white and blue shoes to “show him that we’re patriotic,” but he “didn’t get a thank you.”
“But I ain’t going to stress it out,” he added.
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His remarks come after Trump publicly lambasted Ball, calling him an “ungrateful fool” after he initially downplayed the president’s role in securing the release of his son, LiAngelo, from China, as well as two other players.
Trump repeatedly blasted Ball for failing to thank him.
“It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence — IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair,” the president tweeted.
The younger Ball was briefly held, along with two teammates, on shoplifting charges in China. Trump spoke to China’s president on behalf of the players while he was in the country. They were soon released and allowed to return to the U.S.
Ball told CNN he has not learned any new details about Trump’s role in securing his son’s release.