Lin won’t reveal antagonist
Former Rockets guard alleging he was called ‘coronavirus’ on the court
Jeremy Lin said he will not reveal the person who allegedly called him “coronavirus” on the court even after his accusation set off an investigation by the G League.
“I know this will disappoint some of you but I am not naming or shaming anyone,” Lin wrote on Twitter Saturday morning. “What good does it do for someone in this situation to be torn down?”
Lin, 32, a former Knicks sensation who is trying to resurrect his career in the G league bubble with the Golden State Warriors, revealed the “coronavirus” incident in a Facebook post Thursday that detailed the fight against prejudice encountered by himself and other Asian Americans.
“Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” wrote Lin, who also played for the Rockets from 2012-14. “Being a man of faith doesn’t mean I don’t fight for justice, for myself and for others.”
The G League was looking into the claim but Lin said he doesn’t see the benefit of outing the alleged offender.
“It doesn’t make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism,” he wrote.
Lin has long been outspoken about being the subject of stereotypes, but over the last year verbal and physical attacks on Asian Americans have become more prevalent because the pandemic started in China. Donald Trump, the former president, inflamed the hatred by labeling COVID-19 “the China flu” and “Kung flu” while blaming the Chinese for the death-ravaging outbreaks in America.
In New York, reported hate crimes involving Asian American victims increased over 900 percent in 2020 — from three to 28.
“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 wrote. “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.”
Lin was the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent when he played for the Warriors in 2010-11. He then signed in New York and became a household name with the birth of Linsanity.
Lin bounced around the league for much of the decade,
including two seasons in Brooklyn, and played in China last season. In five games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League, Lin is averaging 19.6 points and 7.2 assists in 31.3 minutes.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked about Lin’s allegation before Friday’s game against the Hornets.
“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.”