(Reuters) – Jeremy Lin said he would not name the person alleged to have called him “coronavirus” on the basketball court as it would do little in the fight against racism.
U.S. media said the NBA’s G League had launched an investigation after Taiwanese-American Lin made the claim in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“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 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.”
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”.
He also had spells with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks and in 2019 became the first Asian-American to win an NBA Championship, doing so with the Toronto Raptors.
Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
