Basketball Star Jeremy Lin Speaks Out About Attacks On Asian Americans, Racism On Court
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) — On Wednesday night, basketball star Jeremy Lin spoke out about the recent attacks on Asian Americans and opened up about his personal experiences with racism on the court.
Lin, who grew up in Palo Alto and once played for the Golden State Warriors, is now playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G league. Officials with the league are looking into his claim that he was called “coronavirus” during a game.
The basketball star told KPIX 5 he wants to promote the message of empathy, love and compassion.
Lin first talked about his own experience with racism on social media, saying “We are tired of being told that we don’t experience racism. We are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble.”
Lin said he’s not calling out the person who made the offensive comment, because he’s not interested in taking someone down. He says doing so doesn’t solve the country’s long-standing problems with racism.
“Asians can’t only be passionate about Asian issues. African-Americans can’t only be passionate about African- American issues. We have to band together. We have to work together, understand each other. We have to listen to each other,” said Lin. “And not just between these two groups; between all groups there has to be that kind of solidarity.”
Lin told KPIX he was targeted multiple times with racist slurs during his basketball career. He is using his platform on and off the court to raise awareness.