One day after opening up about the racial abuse he’s heard on the basketball court, Jeremy Lin indicated that he’s not interested in giving details about who said it to him.
The veteran NBA guard, who is playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League this season, posted on Facebook on Friday about the increased racism against Asians and Asian Americans. In the post, Lin explained that he has been the target of some of this abuse on the court, prompting calls for an investigation. But Lin responded on Saturday, saying that he won’t be “naming or shaming anyone.”
Post Leads to League Investigation
In his original post, Lin mentioned the rise in racially motivated attacks against Asians and Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and shared his personal experience facing discrimination.
“Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” he wrote.
Lin did not share where or when the incident took place, and it was not clear if it occurred in the G League bubble in Orlando, Florida. Before coming to the G League this year, Lin played in the Chinese Basketball Association and has not seen NBA action since 2019.
A league official told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears that the G League is investigating the claim, but Lin said on Saturday that he does not want to get into specifics.
The NBA G League is investigating Jeremy Lin’s statements that he’s been called “Coronavirus” during games, per @ShamsCharania
“I know this will disappoint some of you but I’m not naming or shaming anyone,” Lin tweeted. “What good does it do in this situation for someone to be torn down? It doesn’t make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism.”
Steve Kerr Supports Lin
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who has been one of the league’s leading voices on social issues and racial injustice, spoke out in support of Lin after the original post detailing the discrimination he faced.
“It’s just shocking. I don’t know, I just can’t wrap my head around any of it,” Kerr said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “But I can’t wrap my head around racism in general. I mean, we’re all just flesh and blood. We’re all just people.”
Steve Kerr responds to Jeremy Lin’s social media post about the racism he and the other Asian Americans face
Kerr added that he supported an investigation into Lin’s allegation, saying he wanted to know more about what had happened.
Lin’s original post went beyond his personal experiences to speak about larger societal issues, saying that his generation of Asian Americans are more open about speaking up against discrimination. He said that they are tired of being told to “keep our heads down and not make trouble.”
“We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they’re REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we’re inherently unattractive,” he wrote. “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, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren’t as real.”
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Jeremy Lin on Racial Taunt During Game: ‘Not Naming or Shaming Anyone’