The monster that is racism, always on the prowl but brazenly rampaging in recent years, recently took another swipe at Jeremy Lin’s spirit. The Warriors, the franchise through which he entered the NBA, stand ready to come to his defense.
When the subject of Lin’s recent Facebook post, in which he described being called “coronavirus” on the basketball court, was presented to Steve Kerr during his pregame news conference Friday, the Warriors coach didn’t bother concealing his indignation.
“I applaud Jeremy for his words and echo his sentiments regarding racism against the Asian American community,” Kerr said 90 minutes before tipoff against the Hornets at Chase Center. “It’s just so ridiculous. And, obviously, spawned by many people, including our former president (Donald Trump), as it relates to the coronavirus originating in China.
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“It’s just shocking. I can’t wrap my head around any of it. But I can’t wrap my head around racism in general.”
Lin said the incident occurred during a Santa Cruz Warriors G League game.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported shortly after Kerr's comments that the G League will open an investigation into the comments directed at Lin.
Wearing a black T-shirt with a printed message that aligns with his comments – “NOW is the time to make JUSTICE a reality FOR ALL” – Kerr recalled a bit of perspective passed along by one of his mentors, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“We’re all just flesh and blood,” Kerr said. “We’re all just people. We’re all, as Pop once said to me, we’re all accidents of birth. We were born, we come out the way we are and we don’t have a say in it.
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“What we do have a say in is how we treat people,” Kerr added. “And it’s shocking to me that we can treat each other so poorly based on the color of skin or whatever it is. I applaud Jeremy for speaking out.”
RELATED: Why Lin felt G League was path he needed for NBA comeback
As a guest on NBC Sports Bay Area this week, Lin discussed the increasing incidents of racism faced by Asian Americans, expressing compassion for those who commit such heinous acts and making a plea for all races to commit fighting against this plague.
The Warriors also are in the process of investigating the matter, and Kerr is in full support.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said. “I saw the post. The reference was a little bit vague. It would be good to know what happened.”
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