The AG League is investigating a claim made by Jeremy Lin that he was called a “coronavirus” on the court during a game. Lin, the former NBA playmaker who is trying to get back into the league, posted on Facebook last week addressing the ongoing racism the Asian American community faces, while giving personal examples of the racism he dealt with.
“Being a 9-year-old NBA veteran does not protect me from being called a” coronavirus “on the court,” wrote Lin in his post.
Lin did not elaborate on when this incident occurred, or whether it happened while he was playing in the G League, which started his season a few weeks ago, where he played with affiliate Warriors G League, the Warriors of Santa Cruz. Lin went on to talk about how “this generation of Asian Americans is tired of hearing that we don’t experience racism”.
“We are tired of hearing that we should keep our heads down and not create problems. We are tired of Asian American children growing up and being asked where they REALLY come from, having our eyes mocked, being targeted as exotic or being listening is inherently unattractive. We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, being confused with our colleagues or that our struggles are not so real. “
The day after making your complaint, Lin took to Twitter to make it clear that he did not plan to specifically criticize anyone because of the offensive comments. Instead, he hoped to use the situation as a learning experience.
“I know this will disappoint some of you, but I will not name or embarrass anyone,” said Lin. “What’s the use of someone being demolished in this situation? It doesn’t make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism … Fighting ignorance with ignorance won’t get us anywhere. Sharing our pain by painting another group of people with stereotypes is NOT the way.
“Listen to the voices that teach us how to be anti-racist towards ALL people,” added Lin. Hear other stories, expand your perspective. I believe that this generation can be different. But we will need empathy and solidarity to get there. ”
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increase in racial attacks against Asian Americans in this country, which has led many advocacy groups calling for action and change. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that has tackled anti-Asian hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic, released a report in August stating that it has received more than 2,500 reports of hate and discrimination against Americans of Asian origin since the group was founded in March 2020.
The conversation about racism and discrimination against Americans of Asian origin has led many prominent people in various sectors to talk about the subject, as the hashtag “StopAsianHate” has been on the rise on Twitter for several days. The National Association of Basketball Players issued a statement the same day that Lin posted on Facebook, which said:
“The NBPA condemns any form of racism, discrimination or antagonism directed against specific ethnic groups. We are in solidarity with the Asian American community and abhor the recent and disgusting acts of violence committed against them – this hatred has no place in our society. “
Friday night, the Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr applauded Lin’s words and said he would like to see the NBA investigate his claim.
“I just saw the post on Facebook,” said Kerr. “Really powerful. I applaud Jeremy for his words and agree with his feelings about racism against the Asian American community. It is so ridiculous and obviously generated by many people, including our former president [Donald Trump], for coronavirus originating in China. It is simply shocking. I don’t know – I can’t understand any of this, but I can’t understand racism in general. “
Lin was the first American NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent when he started his career at the Golden State in 2010. He quickly rose to fame after joining the Knicks during the 2011-2012 season, where he averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 35 games. He earned the nickname “Linsanity” after adding 24.4 points and nine assists while leading the Knicks in a seven-game winning streak that season.
This is not the first time that Lin addresses the racism he faces while playing basketball. During a podcast appearance in 2017, the veteran guard said he received racist slurs while playing in the NBA, but the worst was during his four years at college at Harvard when he was playing on the road.
“The worst was at Cornell, when I was called c — k,” said Lin in Outside Shot with Randy Foye. “That’s when it happened. I don’t know … that game, I ended up playing terrible and getting some accusations and doing things really out of character. My teammate told my coaches [that] they were calling Jeremy c — k all through the first half. I didn’t say anything, because when these things happen, I kind of go and bottle – where I go into turtle mode and say nothing and just internalize everything. “
Although Lin has talked about this numerous times in the past, it often does not lead to further action or change on the part of others. Hopefully, this time people will start to notice and be held accountable for the horrific racism directed at the Asian American community.