Donald Trump to LiAngelo Ball, UCLA Players: 'Have a Great Life!'

President Donald Trump went public with a message for UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill on Thursday.

Following their return to the United States from China on Tuesday, Trump tweeted the following: "To the three UCLA basketball players I say: 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!"

Ball, Riley and Hill were detained in China after allegedly shoplifting sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store, and they were kept in a hotel while their teammates defeated Georgia Tech 63-60 in Shanghai. While they didn't fly home with the team, they were allowed to return to the United States on Tuesday, per ESPN.com.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted about Ball, Riley and Hill, saying: "Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!"

Trump said Tuesday he had been in contact with the Chinese president in an effort to expedite the process and get the players home, according to ESPN.com.

Ball, Riley and Hill all released statements Wednesday, thanking Trump and the Chinese government.

While it isn't yet clear what legal ramifications the players may face, they were all suspended indefinitely from the UCLA basketball team, per ESPN.com's Arash Markazi.

Markazi added that there is an ongoing debate among UCLA officials regarding whether the players should be suspended for half the season or the entire 2017-18 campaign.