Washington – Father Of UCLA Player Arrested In China Questions Trump’s Role In Son’s Release

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    LaVar Ball, father of Los Angeles Laker Lonzo Ball, watches his son play against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of an NBA summer league basketball game, Friday, July 7, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)Washington – Outspoken basketball dad LaVar Ball questioned the extent of President Donald Trump’s involvement in securing his son’s release from the custody of Chinese authorities during a combative 20-minute CNN interview on Monday night.

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    The president, in tweets Sunday, said he should have left LiAngelo Ball and two other UCLA basketball players accused of shoplifting in jail because LaVar Ball “is unaccepting of what I did for his son” and “very ungrateful!” LaVar Ball has refused to thank Trump.

    LaVar Ball didn’t back down during the CNN interview, telling host Chris Cuomo that Trump has more important things to do than ask for his gratitude.

    “That’s on your mind, that a father didn’t say ‘Thank you’? And you’re the head of the U.S.? Come on,” Ball said. “There’s a lot of other things that’s going on. Let him do his political affairs and let me handle my son, and let’s just stay in our lane.”

    Ball suggested that he and Chinese president Xi Jinping had more to do with securing his son’s release than the president.

    “Did (Trump) help the boys get out? I don’t know. If I was going to thank somebody, I probably would thank President Xi. He’s in China. He’s the president of China,” Ball said, later adding: “I helped my son get out of China. I had some people that had boots on the ground that knew the situation.”

    Ball also pushed back against Trump’s suggestion that shoplifting “is a very big deal in China.”

    “It wasn’t a big deal because being raised in South Central LA, I’ve seen harsher things. I’ve seen 16, 17-year-old kids that have had to go to jail for life, that were my friends,” Ball said. “He wasn’t physical. He returned it. He fessed up to it.”

    LiAngelo and fellow UCLA freshmen Jalen Hill and Cody Riley have been suspended indefinitely. They were arrested and questioned about stealing from high-end stores next to the team’s hotel in Hangzhou, where the Bruins stayed before leaving for Shanghai to play Georgia Tech. All three apologized for their actions and thanked Trump for his role in securing their release, which occurred while the president was traveling in Asia.

    The trio isn’t allowed to suit up, be on the bench for home games or travel with the team. Without them, No. 23 UCLA lost to Creighton on Monday night in the Hall of Fame Classic.

    LaVar Ball is attempting to build an empire around the basketball skills of his three sons — Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo, LiAngelo and prep prospect LaMelo — and his own bombastic personality. He started an apparel company, Big Baller Brand, with shoes that retail for $500 or more, and he got in several plugs for his products during the CNN interview.

     

     


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    22 Comments
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    Secular
    Secular
    6 years ago

    What an ingrate!

    No wonder his son is a thieving thug.

    No respect for authority

    TruthIsIt
    TruthIsIt
    6 years ago

    Next time Mr. President let them stay there…………

    ercsd
    ercsd
    6 years ago

    I agree with 1 and 2. I also think they should be thrown out school.

    puppydogs
    puppydogs
    6 years ago

    Such an ungrateful old man

    bkelsen
    bkelsen
    6 years ago

    Can we all relax for a moment?
    First, there is nothing in the story to suggest that LiAngelo Ball is a “thug”. He allegedly made an extreme error in judgment. That doesn’t make him a thug.

    Second, LiAngelo Ball actually did thank the President in a nationally televised press conference. The son should not be held responsible for the words of his father.
    לֹא-יוּמְתוּ אָבוֹת עַל-בָּנִים, וּבָנִים לֹא-יוּמְתוּ עַל-אָבוֹת: אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ, יוּמָתוּ.
    Devorim (24:16)

    Third, LaVar Ball is known to be a showman who tries to get publicity for his company and his son in the NBA. This is not the way to do it, by any means. However, it is not the son.

    Fourth, the President should not have started this with his initial tweet questioning if the students would say “thank you” (which, by the way, is an inappropriate thing for a president to even suggest) and making it worse with “should have left them in jail”. The son said “thank you”. Let this go and stop getting arguing with someone who has the same personality and is not on the same level of importance. This is inappropriate for an adult and especially the President of the United States.

    6 years ago

    So it wasn’t a big deal bec in the hood he was raised in there were worse crimes therefore in China it’s not severe ?

    Very ingratfull

    takeittothem
    takeittothem
    6 years ago

    The real issue is how moron Trump handled the situation:

    Instead of taking the high road by saying that I did the right thing, even if a father dissed me, our moronic, immature president takes the low road and talks like a 6 year old and says like #2 ‘I should have left them there’.

    Saving an American soul from Chinese jail and torture is more important than skin-thinned el president’s nonsense statements.

    ALLAN
    ALLAN
    6 years ago

    The father of this thief is at best a total moron and undeniably an ingrate. His attempts to excuse his sons criminal behavior are pathetic and inline with ghetto mentality.
    The three idiots should have been subject to Chinese justice and learned their lesson.

    6 years ago

    This lowlife is looking for his fifteen minutes of fame. If had been Obama who was president now (Gd forbid), you can be sure he’d be falling all over himself praising and thanking the president for helping his criminal son. Unfortunately many blacks are very racist and feel no allegiance to the country if a white president (especially a non Democrat who doesn’t give non-working-by-choice deadbeats free handouts) is in charge….

    puppydogs
    puppydogs
    6 years ago

    Why did CNN have him on last night? Enough of this guy and his 15 minutes of fame.

    yehuda54
    yehuda54
    6 years ago

    The president should buy the father a one-way ticket to North Korea….

    yonasonw
    Member
    yonasonw
    6 years ago

    Not a single one of you knows what the President’s role was or was not in this case. Just about all of you are snarling in a most ugly fashion, from down deep your own preexisting biases and prejudice, having no relation to known fact.

    6 years ago

    the stupid father has encourage his kid to shop lift by saying nothing is wrong. Years ago even ignorant father would beat their kids if caught for the share embarrassment This idiot has no same; he said he kid is good and shop lifting is okay thing to do I feelsorry for the kids with an ignorant baby as a father.

    L-Chaim
    L-Chaim
    6 years ago

    So, they should show more gratitude than frum do to the IDF that protect them?