Jeremy Lin took to Instagram Thursday to speak out against the rise in Asian hate crimes since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) data highlighted in his post, 2,808 incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans have been reported since March 2020.
"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."
The G-League guard continued by suggesting that he's experienced racism on the professional basketball court, writing, "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."
Since returning to the NBA's G League after a stint with the Chinese Basketball Association, Jeremy Lin has averaged 19.6 points, 7.2 assists, and 1.6 steals for the Golden State Warriors' affiliate club, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
