Fansided

LaVar Ball won’t thank Donald Trump after UCLA shoplifting scandal in China

By Dave Daniels

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: LaVar Ball holds courd during The Los Angeles Lakers game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on October 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: LaVar Ball holds courd during The Los Angeles Lakers game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on October 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) /
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LaVar Ball doesn’t want to give President Donald Trump credit for the release of his son and two other UCLA players after they were caught shoplifting in China.

Three UCLA basketball players were recently arrested in China for allegedly shoplifting sunglasses, and President Donald Trump, who also happened to be on a trip to Asia, talked with President Xi Jinping of China about getting them safely home. UCLA hasn’t announced how long the three players will be suspended for yet, but Trump did jump into the conversation to see if he will get a thank you.

One of the three players was LiAngelo Ball, and that was the main reason this story got so much coverage. Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were the others, and Trump claims that they were all heading for up to 10 years in jail.

They arrived back in the United States on Tuesday, and they each personally thanked the President in a UCLA press conference. It remains to be seen if any of them will play again this season.

LaVar Ball isn’t being generous to the President though. He doesn’t seem to think that Trump helped out in any way.

"“Who?” Ball said to ESPN when asked about Trump. “What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out. A lot of people like to say a lot of things that they thought happened over there. Like I told him, ‘They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.’ I’m from L.A. I’ve seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses.”"

Ball doesn’t appear to understand that the laws in China aren’t quite the same as they are in the States.

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UCLA is probably wishing they hadn’t offered a scholarship to LiAngelo at this point, but they have a responsibility to discipline these players in a way that helps them grow as individuals. Don’t expect LaVar to be happy though if the suspensions last a long time.