On Wednesday morning President Trump renewed his attack against the father of a college basketball player released from China after being arrested for shoplifting – calling him a “poor man’s version of Don King” and an “ungrateful fool” for not giving him credit for intervening.

Trump has been in a snit ever since three UCLA hoopsters returned to the US, where he at first assailed them for not thanking him for helping secure their release and then went after LiAngelo Ball’s dad, LaVar, who told ESPN he doubted Trump’s role in the matter.

“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!” Trump tweeted early Wednesday.

Trump then took a personal shot at the father, calling him “just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair.”

The president continued: “Just think 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!”

LaVar’s oldest son, Lonzo, is a rookie guard on the Lakers.

Trump and and the elder Ball have traded barbs through the media since freshmen LiAngelo, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were sprung from China, where they were arrested for allegedly stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store.

“Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!” Trump tweeted last week after saying he had sought the help of Chinese President Xi Jinping during his 12-day trip in Asia.

He later got the recognition he sought.

“I would like to thank President Trump and the United States government for the help they provided,” LiAngelo said.

Later, Trump acknowledged his appreciation and offered some fatherly advice.

“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 crowed to his 43 million Twitter followers.

But things went south again when LaVar doubted that Trump even played a role in helping get the players back home.

“Who?” he told the sports network when asked about Trump. “What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”

An outraged Trump then said he “should have left” the players “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!” Trump railed on Twitter Sunday.

”Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar,” Trump wrote shortly before 7 pm. “Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!”

LaVar upped the ante the following day in an interview on CNN.

“If you help, you shouldn’t have to say anything,” he said. “Somebody told me about the tweet a couple days ago … why is that on your mind? All this stuff going on, and that’s on your mind, that a father didn’t say thank you? And you’re the head of the U.S.? Come on.”