LiAngelo Ball has spoke out for the first time on his shoplifting incident and suspension from UCLA.

But let’s go back to how this all started. Monday, November 5, LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill were arrested after stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store near the UCLA team’s hotel in China before their upcoming game.

After being arrested and spending one and a half days in a Chinese jail, the players were set free on a $2,200 bail, but the team made them stay in the hotel. The rest of the team then left after their game but the three players stayed with the team administrator.

Older brother of LiAngelo,  Lonzo, rookie point guard for Los Angeles, was asked about the situation the day of the arrest and responded by saying, “My people over there will deal with it.”

Father LaVar responded by saying, “My boy will be fine.” These responses showed a lack of urgency; what they did not know is that he could have faced up to 30 years in Chinese prison.

Luckily, this incident occurred during president Trump’s 12-day visit to China. On one of those days, Trump mentioned the arrest of the three UCLA basketball players, which he claims helped their charges be dropped. The players got off free with the exception of an indefinite suspension from UCLA.

The three athletes then thanked president Trump and said sorry for their mistakes. LiAngelo’s father LaVar, though, said on ESPN, “I did more to help my son get out of jail.” He later appeared on CNN and said he saw no need to thank the President: “Let him do his political affairs and let me handle my son.”

Trump took to Twitter saying, “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!”

On November 22 Trump tweeted, “LaVar is jus ta poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair.”

LiAngelo appeared on the Today Show with his dad and he announced that he is leaving UCLA and is going overseas to play basketball. LaVar swore that he will have LiAngelo in NBA form in a year.

He also included that he sent a pair of their family’s Big Baller Brand Z02 Prime Remix shoes, priced at $500,  to the White House.  He said he hoped the gift would help President Trump “calm down a little bit.” He added the shoes were “Red, White and Blue to show that we are patriotic,” says LaVar.