Article snippet: President Donald Trump and the father of one of the UCLA basketball players caught shoplifting in China have become engaged in a so-called war of words. Last week LiAngelo Ball and two other UCLA players, Cody Riley and Jaden Hill, were detained in Shanghai after an incident that involved stealing a pair of sunglasses from a Xi Jinping. Here's how the fallout unfolded. "Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!" he wrote on Twitter. During a news conference later that day, the three players admitted to shoplifting and each thanked Trump for his assistance in the matter. Trump then responded to the players in a series of tweets the following day. "To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You're welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!" he wrote in two tweets. LiAngelo Ball's father, LaVar Ball, was interviewed by ESPN and some interpreted his remarks as an attempt to downplay Trump's role in his son's release. When asked about Trump's involvement, LaVar Ball said, "Who?" "What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out," he said. He went on, "As long as my boy's back here, I'm fine. I'm happy with how things were handled. ... Link to the full article to read more