President Donald Trump's continued lashing out at football and basketball athletes — sports with high percentages of black players — raises questions about the complicated nexus of race, sports and politics, some African American studies scholars say.

Yesterday, Trump again attacked LaVar Ball, the father of the UCLA basketball player who was detained in China with two of his teammates who were arrested on accusations of shoplifting on Nov. 7 while scheduled to play their season opener in Shanghai.

Ball is an “ungrateful fool” and “a poor man’s version of Don King,” Trump tweeted, referring to the controversial boxing promoter, “but without the hair.”

Trump also previously pointed out that he secured the release of UCLA players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jaden Hill. After their arrest, the three college basketball players were released on bail but were required to remain in their hotel in China until the legal process was over.

While in Asia on a foreign trip at the same time, Trump appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for their release back to the United States. The three players returned to the United States Nov. 14 and apologized in a news conference the next day, admitting to shoplifting and thanking Trump for securing their return home.

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

The nature of and language in Trump's tweets could strike some as "racially coded," said Douglas Hartmann, a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota who has written about politics, sports and race.

"Not only is it racially coded, and more or less visibly and intentionally, but I think it is also ... kind of another way that Trump uses Twitter and other things and sports in particular to distract from other issues," Hartmann said.

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Ben Carrington, a sociology professor at the USC and author of the 2010 book “Race, Sport and Politics,” said that Trump’s tweet and the language he uses “clearly has racial overtones.”

“Trump will constantly use racially coded language that he knows plays to his base,” Carrington told ABC News.

Carrington argued that one such example is Trump’s speech at a rally in Alabama back in September, where he said, "Wouldn’t you love to see one of the NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now?'"

“When Trump uses language referring to black athletes or other black figures that kind of speak out in terms of them being ungrateful and undeserving of their place in sports, he’s re-invoking that dark era in American sports in which that language was explicit and black players couldn't play,” Carrington said.

The criticism of LaVar Ball is one of several attacks Trump has launched against athletes.

He has called for NFL players — including former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who started the movement —- who kneel during the National Anthem -- to be fired.

PHOTO: Houston Texans players kneel and stand during the singing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Oct. 29, 2017, in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson/AP) More

Trump said in September that his criticism of the players "has nothing to do with race," rather it's about "respect for our country, flag and national anthem."

Trump also rescinded the invitation to Stephen Curry and the Golden Warriors to visit the White House after the basketball player expressed reservations about attending based on his own political beliefs.

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