Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump on Sunday upbraided the father of one of three UCLA basketball players who were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting after he questioned Trump's role in their release.

"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!," Trump wrote in a Twitter post.

The three players from the University of California, Los Angeles apologised last week and thanked Trump for helping secure their release by raising the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit.

But LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo Ball, on Saturday downplayed Trump's involvement in the release.