Jeremy Lin has been extremely open about his struggles during his time in the NBA, and how difficult it has been to be the only Asian-American player on the court. Over the years, Lin has bounced around the league and after a brief stint in China, he is now playing for the Golden State Warriors' G-League team in Santa Cruz. So far, Lin has been displaying a ton of promise although he hasn't gone without some hardships on the court, as he has experienced racism at times.
In a new post on Facebook, Lin got real about some of the taunts he has heard throughout his time in basketball and that with the COVID-19 pandemic, things have only gotten worse. In fact, Lin claims he was called "Coronavirus" during a game, which is truly unacceptable.
Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we don't experience racism,...
"Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans," Lin wrote. "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.
Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn't protect me from being called "coronavirus" on the court."
These are certainly massive hardships to go through, and Lin is remaining strong through all of it, which is great to see. Lin has inspired many young basketball players around the world, and his words during these difficult times mean a lot to so many.
