© Sergio Estrada | 2019 Jun 13
In Facebook post from his personal account on Thursday evening, Jeremy Lin, who is playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League bubble, said he was the subject of racial abuse on the basketball court when he was called “coronavirus.” Lin did not specify when this happened, or if it was said to him by an opposing player, but the Warriors did play a game on Thursday evening, a 116-111 win over the Memphis Hustle.
Lin revealed the incident at the end of a lengthy post about the increased racial abuse that Asian-Americans have been facing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s the statement in full:
“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.”
“Being an Asian American doesn’t mean we don’t experience poverty and racism.
“Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called “coronavirus” on the court.
“Being a man of faith doesn’t mean I don’t fight for justice, for myself and for others.
“So here we are again, sharing how we feel. Is anyone listening?”