The NBA’s G Development League launched an investigation after Jeremy Lin said he was called a “coronavirus” on the field.
Lin, who plays for Golden State Warriors’ League G affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors, said in a candid post on social media that he experienced an act of racism during a game without saying when or where it happened.
A league spokesman confirmed to the New York Times that an investigation had been opened.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he would support Lin and denounced any discriminatory acts that led Lin to talk about racism targeting Asian Americans.
The first player born in America of Chinese or Taiwanese origin in the NBA, Lin and his Warriors play in the bubble-neutral place in League G in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
“Being an Asian American does not mean that we do not experience poverty and racism. Being a 9-year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called a “coronavirus” on the field, “Lin wrote. “Being a believer does not mean that I do not fight for justice, for myself and for others. So we are again, sharing how we feel. Does anyone listen? ”
Kerr wasn’t sure how to proceed until he gathered more information, but he vowed to support Lin. Lin, 32, played 29 games for the Warriors as a rookie in 2010-11, then left for the New York Knicks and gained the popularity that gave birth to the nickname “Linsanity”. A Taiwanese American, Lin was born in Torrance, Southern California, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Very strong. I applaud Jeremy for his words and remind me of my feelings about racism against the Asian-American community, “Kerr said before Golden State hosted Charlotte at the Chase Center. “It is so ridiculous and obviously generated by many people, including our former president, because it refers to the coronavirus originating in China. It’s just shocking. I can’t wrap my head around anything, but I can’t wrap my laugh in general.
“We are all just flesh and blood. We are all just people. As (Gregg) Pop (Popovich) once told me: “We are all birth accidents. They were born. We go out as we are. We have no say. What we have to say is how we treat people. It’s shocking to me that we can treat each other so badly based on skin color or whatever. So I applaud Jeremy for speaking. ”
Lin, who last year pledged up to $ 1 million for coronavirus relief efforts, said there was a generational change in Asian Americans in a post on his Facebook page:
“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we do not experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not cause problems. We are tired of raising Asian American children and being asked where they really are, making fun of us, being objectified as exotic, or being told that we are inherently unattractive. We are tired of Hollywood stereotypes that affect our psyche and limit who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, confusing ourselves with our colleague, or being told that our struggles are not as real.
“I want better for my elders who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a living here. I want better for my niece and nephew and for future children. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than having to work so hard to be just “cheating athletes.” ”
Lin followed this post with another on Saturday, saying he did not intend to release the player who used the term.
“I know this will disappoint some of you, but I do not name or shame anyone,” Lin posted on Twitter. “What good is a web site if it simply” blends in “with everything else out there? It doesn’t make my community safer or it doesn’t solve any of our long-term problems with racism. “
In addition to his internships with the Warriors and Knicks, Lin also played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks and in 2019 became the first Asian-American to win an NBA championship, doing so. with the Toronto Raptors.