LaVar Ball Talks Trump Feud and Why He Will Not Be Saying Thank You

He also tells Trump to stay in his lane.

Nov 21, 2017
Lavar Ball
Getty

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Lavar Ball looks on during an college exhibition basketball game between the Cal State Los Angeles and the UCLA Bruins on November 1, 2017, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Lavar Ball
Getty

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 01: Lavar Ball looks on during an college exhibition basketball game between the Cal State Los Angeles and the UCLA Bruins on November 1, 2017, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

LaVar Ball appeared on CNN Tonight to discuss his war of words with President Donald Trump and it got weird and interesting. 

LaVar Ball, the father of a basketball player freed from China who also recently ran afoul of the President on Twitter, talks with @ChrisCuomo: "I don't have to go around saying thank you to everybody" https://t.co/2r5gjzKaQa https://t.co/pQmyfEjnvK

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) November 21, 2017

"He fessed up to it. ... It was an impulse thing, a bad decision at a bad time, that's all it was for an 18 year-old who never done anything wrong," says LaVar Ball, father of UCLA basketball player LiAngelo Ball https://t.co/JtzyaF2lxN

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) November 21, 2017

"If you help, you shouldn't have to say anything," says LaVar Ball, father of UCLA basketball player LiAngelo Ball. "Let him do his political affairs and let me handle my son and let's just stay in our lane" https://t.co/NxBpHYh7Nr

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) November 21, 2017

LaVar Ball, father of UCLA player LiAngelo Ball says he did more to help his son than President Trump: "I helped my son get out of (China) ... I had some people that had boots on the ground that knew the situation" https://t.co/KiRQGVQrpc

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) November 21, 2017

The interview aired less than two weeks after LaVar’s son LiAngelo Ball was arrested in China for alleged shoplifting. LiAngelo and two other UCLA basketball players were detained in the country and faced up to three to 10 years behind bars; however, the student-athletes dodged the charges and were cleared to return home last Tuesday.

Trump immediately took credit for LiAngelo’s release, claiming he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to let the young men go. LaVar downplayed the president’s role in the matter.

“Who?" LaVar told ESPN, when asked about Trump's involvement. “What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”

Predictable Trump fired back on Twitter, stating he should’ve left the athletes in jail.

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

Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017

 

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