Jeremy Lin condemns racist abuse of ex-NBA star Sonny Weems by Chinese basketball fans – ‘that word carries so much hurt, unfairness and hatred’
- ‘I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like to be called a Chinaman in a place where I’m considered a foreigner,’ Lin says in Weibo post
- American was repeatedly called the N-word in viral video after Guangdong Southern Tigers’ loss to Liaoning Flying Leopards
Jeremy Lin has condemned the Chinese basketball fans who racially abused American player Sonny Weems after a game last week.
The 33-year-old Lin’s fellow former Toronto Raptors star Weems was subjected to repeated slurs as he exited the team bus after his Guangdong Southern Tigers side’s 102-90 defeat by Liaoning Flying Leopards, who secured top spot in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) standings with the victory.
A video of the incident on January 13 went viral on China’s Twitter-like Weibo social media platform, showing fans with Liaoning jerseys repeatedly calling Weems the N-word.
“I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like to be called a ‘Chinaman’ in a place where I’m considered a ‘foreigner’. And to be honest, it’s scary when everyone around you doesn’t look like you,” former NBA champion Lin, who now plays with the Beijing Ducks, wrote in a post on Weibo in support of Weems.
“The abuse Weems received really was disrespectful, that word carried so much hurt, unfairness and hatred that I couldn’t put into words.
