Jeremy Lin Says "It Kind Of Sucks" To Be The Only Asian Player In The NBA

BYAlexander Cole9.4K Views
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Jeremy Lin
Lin has been an inspiration to Asian basketball players.

Jeremy Lin has had an interesting journey in the NBA. When he started his career with the New York Knicks, he took the basketball world by storm with the "Linsanity" movement. It didn't last too long though as Lin eventually got outmuscled by a then-injured Carmelo Anthony. Lin has bounced around the league since then but is now with the Toronto Raptors and has a great opportunity to go far in the playoffs. He is also the only Asian player in the NBA and spoke about that with The Undefeated's Cary Chow.

"At times it kind of sucks. At other times it’s amazing. Amazing because you get to challenge everyone’s viewpoints and perspectives," Lin explained. "I’m rooting for so many more Asians to come in. Last year, when I was with Brooklyn and we had Ding [Yanyuhang] on the summer league team, I was like, ‘Dude, please make the team. We’d have so much fun together during the season."

Lin also talked about the adversity he faced when he first entered the league as someone who looked different than everybody else.

"Even as I came out and started to play well, a lot of the jokes that were being said and a lot of the hate coming the other way, I was like, ‘Man, some of this is purely because I’m Asian.’ For me, that really opened my eyes up to the reality of this world," Lin explained.

The Raptors and Lin now sit second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 43-16.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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