Donald Trump tweets that basketballer LiAngelo Ball's dad LaVar Ball an 'ungrateful fool' after China row

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at LaVar Ball. Photos / AP

A feud between US President Donald Trump and the father of a UCLA basketball player detained for shoplifting in China has reached a fever pitch, with the President labelling LaVar Ball an "ungrateful fool".

Continuing a volley of insults over social media that has gone on for over a week, Trump took after LaVar Ball, the father of university basketball player LiAngelo Ball, in a series of tweets.

LaVar Ball (right) had questioned the extent of President Trump's involvement in securing his son's release from the custody of Chinese authorities Photo / AP

Trump chastised LaVar Ball for failing to credit him with interceding with Chinese officials to get his son LiAngelo and two other UCLA basketball players released after they were detained in connection with a shoplifting incident while in China to play a basketball game.

Tweeting from his Mar a Lago estate in Florida before daybreak, Trump said, "The ungratefulness is something I've never seen before."

It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2017

...LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It’s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2017

"If you get someone's son out of prison, he should be grateful to you," the President said. "Period. I don't care."

"If Hillary got my kid out of prison, as much as I hate the woman, I'd thank her corrupt ass," he said of last year's Democratic campaign opponent, Hillary Clinton.

"But remember LaVar," Trump wrote, "shoplifting is NOT a little thing."

In his Twitter posts, Trump also said, "Lavar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you."

Trump told LaVar Ball that shoplifting is "a really big deal, especially in China".

UCLA NCAA college basketball player LiAngelo Ball attends a news conference at UCLA. Photo / AP

He said, "It wasn't the White House, it wasn't the State Department, it wasn't father LaVar's so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence. IT WAS ME."

"Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man's version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think."

LiAngelo Ball and two of his UCLA teammates were released after a brief detention in China while Trump was visiting the country.

The three UCLA players have been suspended from the team.

- AP