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“‘Linsanity’ is a product of people underestimating him his whole life,” Chi said. “He was always good, good enough to be on the floor. They just never saw him, and society doesn’t expect that, and all of a sudden, he gets to the floor against the Nets … and it’s what?” The film, however, is more than a celebration of Lin and his being a source of pride for Asian Americans. In addition to exploring stereotypes about Asians, it also examines how anti-Asian crimes have increased in recent years amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeremy Lin: I didn't like a lot of the side effects of Linsanity
Jeremy Lin wasn't the first Asian-American to play in the NBA but he was by far the most prominent and noteworthy and the sociological impact of his NBA career has been hugely significant. It's worth pausing for a second, though, to imaging being the human being at the centre of all that. It wasn't easy at the time and it's been something that Lin has had to learn to live with since. "I think for me as a person, it's been an evolution from trying to run away from it because I felt like I didn't like a lot of the side effects of Linsanity," he explained. "Some family issues that it caused, all the privacy that was taken away from me overnight, and the paparazzi chasing down me and my family and my friends… just a lot of scary things that had happened.”
“I’m passionate about players becoming better at basketball but I’m also probably even more passionate about Asian American kids growing up with confidence, with self-esteem, being proud to be Asian, which was something that I wasn’t growing up,” Lin told The Raptors Show. The basketball school aims to teach values and lessons that are applicable both on and off the court, according to a social media post from the Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association. And Lin told the Raptors Show that the curriculum will include everything from shooting hoops to character development and communication.
Another crucial aspect to “Linsanity,” as the fan craze around the ballplayer became known, was his identity as an Asian-American athlete. On Monday, following the film’s premiere, Tribeca will host a conversation featuring Lin and moderated by Hasan Minhaj about the perception of Asian-Americans in sports and racism in America.
“I’m really humbled that my story and journey has resonated and touched so many,” added Lin. “Throughout that period of time in my life and since, there has always been an underlying narrative about race, and my hope is that this documentary challenges Asian American stereotypes and can serve as a continued source of pride and inspiration, especially during an unprecedented rise of Asian-American hate and injustice.”
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The baller has come a long way since those days, in which he says he was hesitant to be labeled an “Asian athlete.” In some ways, Lin recalls, it was amid the madness that unfolded all around him, his own understandings of race and who he was as an Asian American began to percolate. And now, while the community observes the 10-year anniversary of the Linsanity phenomenon this month, the 33-year-old says he’s left with one “big regret.” “I was just so focused on playing well in the next game, I wasn’t so tuned into what everybody else was saying,” Lin told NBC Asian America. “There was a lack of understanding of what that moment meant and I feel like, because of that … I wasn’t able to say more and do more with my platform off the court that I wish I could have done and should have done.”
Jeremy Lin tests positive for Covid-19
Jeremy Lin has tested positive for Covid-19 and is receiving treatment in Shanghai, the former NBA guard and first Asian-American to win an NBA title said in a social media post Saturday. Lin announced in June he was rejoining the Chinese Basketball Association's Beijing Ducks after a failed NBA comeback. He tested positive for coronavirus on his third day in quarantine after flying to Shanghai from San Francisco, the 32-year-old posted on Chinese social network Weibo. "I was shocked and a little bewildered," he wrote of his initial reaction to the diagnosis.
This will be Green’s first head coaching job after five years as an assistant. And on a larger scale, Green is among seven Black coaches who will fill the eight available head coach openings in the NBA this offseason, representing long-awaited progress for African American coaches in a league predominantly made up of Black players. Heading into next season, 13 of the league’s 30 coaches will be Black, one will be Latino and one Asian American. “The last few weeks have been really cool in that regard,” Williams said. “The way I look at it is I just wanted everybody to have the same opportunities to get a job and I just think it’s important that African Americans, white, brown, it doesn’t matter, I just wish that every team would have a lengthy process so that guys would get the experience, that’s how I view it. I think when teams just pick a guy and not allow for younger coaches and African American coaches to at least go through the process, it’s hard, because we all need that experience so you can learn like, what I need to do, where my strengths are, where my weaknesses are.
Lin was also asked about his experiences on the recent world champion Toronto Raptors and what that meant. The Bay Area native spoke about the bittersweet time: "On one hand, it was so heavy, like, 'Dude you made history, first Asian American ever to win a championship'...there was a weight of...what that moment meant. "I had gone through Linsanity, so at that time I was trying to really embrace and soak everything in because a lot of times when you accomplish stuff you don't realize what you did."
Police investigate reported assault on Asian American man with his kids at Suns game
An Asian American man reported to Phoenix police that a beer bottle was thrown at him while he attended a Suns basketball game with his two children at Phoenix Suns Arena in downtown Phoenix, police officials confirmed on Wednesday. The victim contacted police about 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday to report the attack. Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Mercedes Fortune said officers are attempting to obtain video of the incident and an investigation is ongoing, as incidents of anti-Asian violence are occurring nationwide. Fortune said the incident may be "bias related."
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The incident was reported on Twitter the same night by Vicente Reid, the CEO of Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce, an organization that serves the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Arizona. Reid, a friend of the victim, told The Arizona Republic he believes a hate crime was committed. "It was completely unprovoked," Reid said. "He was with his two young kids, and hears some guy shout "[expletive] Asians" and he gets hit with a beer bottle." Reid said the victim was especially furious because the incident happened in front of his children, and he told Reid they were "traumatized."
Jeremy Lin: I didn’t do enough when I was “Linsanity” to break down barriers for the next generation. I just wanted to play basketball during that time in 2012 when I was suddenly thrust into the global spotlight with the New York Knicks. I didn’t recognize the built-up trauma and the multigenerational, systemic injustices. I failed to appreciate and better support the work of advocates fighting for Asian Americans to be seen and heard. It’s one of my biggest failures and one of my biggest regrets.
Rich Cho broke down racial barriers in 2010 when he was named the general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, the first Asian American to be hired in that role in the NBA. “The past year has been such a sobering time in the area of racial injustice, particularly as these issues affect the black community and now as incidents rise against Asian Americans,” Cho, who is currently the Memphis Grizzlies VP of basketball strategy, told Yahoo Sports. “Hate crimes and hate speech are things so cruel and reprehensible, yet they occur almost daily. Many of these attacks never even make the news, but they still happen. We cannot let this behavior ever become normalized.”
Cho, 55, says regardless of race, ethnicity and gender, we as a people have an obligation to speak up, embrace racial equality and condemn violence. “The events of the past year have also brought a renewed energy toward openly advocating for racial justice among many groups,” Cho told Yahoo Sports. “While there is still much to be done, I’m encouraged by the outpouring of support across the country from allies who have condemned hate against Asian Americans. As an Asian immigrant and proud father of two young daughters, I’m reminded every day that we have an absolute duty to stand up against any and all forms of racism.”
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