Basketball officials are investigating a complaint by hoopla star Jeremy Lin that he was being called ‘coronavirus’ as an anti-Asian failure in court.
Lin, who currently plays for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G-League, described the attack Thursday in a Facebook post in which he condemned continued racism against the Asian American community.
“Being a 9-year-old NBA veteran does not protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ in court,” he wrote.
Verbal and physical attacks on Asian Americans have skyrocketed since Donald Trump began calling China for COVID-19, repeatedly and inaccurately calling it the ‘China virus’ and using the racist term ‘kung flu’.
Lin last year complained about Trump’s ‘anti-Chinese message’ for empowering ‘more hatred towards Asians’.
Lin did not provide details in the mail about where the name was linked. He played for his team in Orlando, Florida, ESPN said.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he would like to see the NBA investigate Lin’s complaint.
Kerr calls the Facebook message “really powerful. I applaud Jeremy for his words and confirm his sentiments regarding racism against the Asian American community, “he added.
‘It is just as ridiculous and apparently produced by many people, including our former president, when it comes to the coronavirus that originated in China. It’s just shocking, “Kerr said.
Lin broke the barriers when he joined the Golden State Warriors in the 2010-11 season as the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, according to ESPN.
More than 1,800 racist incidents against Asian Americans have been reported in the US in a single period of eight weeks from March 2020 to May 2020, according to a United Nations investigation last August.
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