COVID-19 Fueled Asian Hate... NBA Taiwanese-American Basketball Player Jeremy Lin "I Was Called the Coronavirus Too"

Taiwanese-American player Jeremy Lin, who is causing a "Yellow Storm" in the NBA.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Amid global controversy over the COVID-19 pandemic sparking anti-Asian hate, Jeremy Lin (33), who is active in the NBA, confessed that he experienced racial discrimination during a NBA G League game.

On the 26th (local time), Lin stated on his social media, "During a G League game, someone called me 'coronavirus'."

Lin said, "Being Asian American does not mean we do not experience poverty and racial discrimination," adding, "Even as a veteran who has played in the NBA for nine years, I am called 'coronavirus' on the court." Lin is a Taiwanese American, born in Palo Alto, California, and graduated from Harvard University.

He continued, "We are tired of Asian children growing up being asked where they are from, being mocked for their eyes, being objectified, or being told they are unattractive. We are tired of stereotypes affecting us," and said, "I want a better world for the older generation who worked hard and sacrificed for themselves here, and for the children of the future."

In response to Lin's post, the G League office promised to conduct a full investigation into the incident.

The '#Stopasianhate' movement spreading recently on social media / Photo by Twitter capture

Meanwhile, as anti-Asian hate crimes and racial discrimination have worsened since COVID-19, cases of verbal abuse, physical assault, and even death have occurred.

In the United States, over 3,000 hate crime incidents against Asian Americans have been reported since the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the civic group 'Stop AAPI Hate,' organized to oppose hate crimes against Asians, there were 2,808 reported hate crime cases against Asian Americans from March 19 to December 31 last year.

As indiscriminate crimes against Asians become increasingly severe, an anti-racism movement using the hashtag '#StopAsianHate' is spreading online.