The NBA G League is opening an investigation into guard Jeremy Lin’s claim that he has been called “Coronavirus” on the court, according to the Athletic.
As the number of violent attacks against Asian American escalates across the country, Lin, an Asian-American currently playing for the Warriors’ G League affiliate, detailed in a Facebook post Thursday the racism he has experienced over the course of his basketball career.
“Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” said Lin, the former New York Knicks star who spent last season playing in China before attempting his NBA comeback with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
In the post, Lin recounted several ways Asian Americans experience racism, particularly as children and while playing sports.
“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. 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. 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. 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.
“I want better for my elders who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a life for themselves here. I want better for my niece and nephew and future kids. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than to have to work so hard to just be ‘deceptively athletic.’”
Asked whether he’d support an investigation into Lin’s allegation, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said before Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets that he would. He lauded Lin for speaking up against the wave of violence against Asian Americans.
“I just saw the … post just now, really powerful,” Kerr said. “I applaud Jeremy for his words and echo his sentiments regarding racism against the Asian-American community. It’s just so ridiculous. And obviously, spawned by many people — including our former president, as it relates to the coronavirus originating in China.
“It’s just shocking. I don’t know, I just can’t wrap my head around any of it. 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. As (Gregg Popovich) once said to me, ‘We’re all accidents of birth.’ We were born, we come out the way we are and we don’t have a say in it. We do have a say in how we treat people, and it’s just shocking to me that we can treat people so poorly based on the color of their skin.”
