Jeremy Lin said he would not identify the person who allegedly called him “coronavirus” on the basketball court.
“I know this will disappoint some of you but I’m not naming or shaming anyone,” Lin said on Twitter. “What good does it do in this situation for someone to be torn down?
“It doesn’t make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism.”
The Taiwanese-American and former NBA guard said there were better ways to support Asian American communities experiencing racism.
“Fighting ignorance with ignorance will get us nowhere. Sharing our own pain by painting another group of people with stereotypes is not the way,” he said.
“Listen to the voices that are teaching us how to be anti-racist towards ALL people. Hear others’ stories, expand your perspective, stop comparing experiences. I believe this generation can be different.”
The NBA’s G League earlier said it has already launched an investigation regarding Jeremy Lin’s claims that he called “coronavirus” on the court.
Jeremy Lin not naming who called him ‘coronavirus’ on court
“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,” Lin lamented in a Facebook post.
“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,” he revealed.
Jeremy Lin began his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors in 2010 before moving to the New York Knicks, where his exploits in the 2011-12 season sparked what became known as “Linsanity”.