Ruth Asawa and Jeremy Lin at SF museum

 A funny thing happened to me on the way to an exhibit of the late Ruth Asawa's work.

Taking time off before  going through San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art's (SFMOMA) exhibit of the Asian American artists work, I stumbled upon this art work featuring basketball star Jeremy Lin.

It was part of a huge panel under a large art piece SFMOMA had commissioned for cartoonist and writer Gene Luen Yang,. 

Titled Bay Area Wall series, features a mural inspired by three  basketball legends with a tie to the Bay Area: Fran Belibi, Stephen Curry and Jeremy Lin.

The baskeball mural can be found on the second floor next to the snack bar and will be on exhibit through the month of August.

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SFMOMA is home for the first posthumous retrospective of Ruth Asawa’s work and its inspirations over six decades of her career. As an artist, Asawa forged a groundbreaking practice through her ceaseless exploration of materials and forms. As an educator and civic leader, Asawa’s impact on San Francisco can still be felt today.

The late Ruth Asawa ,literally, in one of her creations.

The Ruth Asawa exhibit features many of the scullptor's signature suspended looped- and tied-wire sculptures alongside lesser-known works, including a selection of her sculptural “miniatures” — the smallest measuring just over one inch in diameter. From vibrant drawings and paintings to clay masks and cast bronze sculptures, more than 300 works give insight into Asawa’s relentlessly experimental vision.

        RELATED: Ruth Asawa inducted into California's Hall of Fame

The Japanesse American artist had a deep connection to San Francisco, her adopted home. One of the galleries evokes the living room of Asawa’s longtime Noe Valley home opens with the artist’s hand-carved redwood doors, and features cases of her sketchbooks, art by friends that she kept on display, and a rich array of the sculptures that once hung from her ceiling. 

Archival materials show how Asawa shaped her adopted hometown through numerous public commissions and her dedication to arts education.

The exhibit included photos of her numerous works of art scattered throughout the SF Bay Area, from her famous mermaid fountain at Ghiradelli Square to her Wall of Internment at San Jose's Japantown.

If you want to view the exhibit, you better hurry. It lasts until August 31, 2025.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.

Jeremy Lin will continue his basketball career with the Beijing Ducks

To the delight of his legions of fans in China, Jeremy Lin is back. The Chinese American free agent has signed on with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

“Beijing Shougang, I’m back!” the highly popular 32-year old told fans in Chinese on his social media account. Shougang are the owners of the CBA's Ducks.

“No regrets about the past, excited for the future. Still got a lot of basketball left in me and we’ll see where this road goes. Beijing Ducks, excited to be back this upcoming season! Thank you all for going on this journey with me,” he posted on Instagram.

After playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA's G-League hoping to impress an NBA team. However, after the G-League season was over, no team offered him a contract even though his stats were better than some of the minor league players were picked up by an NBA team.

Last month, just before the NBA playoffs began, the veteran player realized that no team was going to give him a chance to return to the NBA. He wrote a long social media post that sounded like he was retiring with no regrets. In a subsequent post, he clarified that he was not retiring from professional basketball, leaving the door open for a return to the CBA where he led the Ducks to the semi-finals last season.

At one point during his 11-year career, Lin was the only Asian American basketball player in the National Basketball League. He signed with the Golden State Warriors in his first year, then bounced around the league with seven other teams. 

The high point of his NBA playing time was for several weeks  during the 2011-2012 season he became a media focus for his spectacular play with the New York Knicks giving rise to "Linsanity." Injuries prevented him from playing with the Knicks during the playoffs and followed him for the rest of his career.

While waiting for an NBA offer, Lin revealed that he was called a racial slur during a G-League game but he never revealed the player's name. Consequently, the California resident became a prominent spokesperson against the anti-Asian racism currently surging throughout the U.S.

Jeremy Lin says the announcement of his retirement was premature

JEREMY LIN

Whoa! It looks like sports journalists jumped the gun. Jeremy Lin is not retiring from professional basketball.

Lin posted a long, cryptic message last week on social media wherein he admitted that he had come to the realization that his attempt to return to the NBA was not going to happen. It sounded like the end of his career.

He wrote: "I didn't get it all done, but I have no regrets," Lin wrote. "I gave my ALL and hold my head high. As for what's next, I trust what God has in store for me … Thanks to everyone whose rolled with me on this journey. I love you all."

“It wasn’t my official retirement, but it was definitely something where I’m kind of realizing that there’s not much else I can do to prove that I belong in the NBA,” Lin told The Spin.

At one time, he was the only Asian American in the National Basketball League.

Since he began his career 11 years ago when he went undrafted after a stellar 4-year stint at Harvard, he played played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors. He last appeared in a game for the 2018-19 Raptors that won the NBA title.

The high point was a few weeks with the Knicks when he started in place of the team's starting guard. He was nothing short of spectacular. For 26 games, he was the toast of the town. Linsanity was born.

Unfortunately, an injury kept him from playing in the playoffs and he was never able to regain the consistent winning form of Linsanity.

After playing part of the season with the Raptors, where he earned helped earn a championship, no NBA team picked up his contract so he spent a year playing for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. 

Last year he turned down a huge contract to return to the Ducks so he could audition for the NBA by playing in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. He was among the top ten scorers in the league. He watched as the other top scorers were called up by NBA teams. When he didn't get that call, he came to the realization that his NBA dream may be over.

But, he says, he's not retiring and his mulling over his options.  “Every challenge that I’ve been given, every ask of me I’ve done and I’ve performed well, so for me, it’s kind of realizing, hey, it doesn’t really matter what I do,” Lin says.

Celebrities, activists added to MTV's 'See Us Unite For Change' celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month

Olivia Munn, left, and Henry Golding, center join host Ken Jeong in the MTV celebration.

With Ken Jeong set to host, MTV's AANHPI Heritage Month celebration announced more celebrities joining the star-studded  television event.

MTV's "See Us Unite for Change" event just announced a massive expansion to their roster. With additions of Olivia Munn, Henry Golding, the Black Eyed Peas, Steven Yeun, Mike Shinoda and Sesame Street's Elmo and Alan. Additional presenters also include Chloe Bennet, Cheryl Burke, Tim Chantarangsu, James Hong, Alan Kim, Michelle Kwan, Lisa Ling and Jeremy Lin. the celebration is set to kick off on May 21st at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will include performances from Jhene Aiko, Saweetie, and Sting.

"To truly shift perceptions on a larger scale, we must come together to take a stand against discrimination, slander and violence in all of its forms, utilizing every platform and tool that we have access to," said See Us Unite campaign Executive Producer Sheila Lirio Marcelo.

"But anti-Asian hate has had a long history in this country, and to truly shift perceptions on a larger scale, we must come together to take a stand against discrimination, slander and violence in all of its forms, utilizing every platform and tool that we have access to."

"Ultimately, our culture is our greatest asset in our effort to change hearts and minds," she added.

Featuring music, comedy performances, short films, and inspirational speakers, the event will spotlight notable Asian American Pacific Islander contributions to art and media and education.

Asian American public figures and those working to combat violence against the AAPI community will also speak. Other speakers include Amanda Ngoc Nguyen, Ai-Jen Poo, Prof. Karthick Ramakrishnan and John C. Yang.

The Asian American Foundation partnered with the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to fund the event.

The goal of the event, which is a partnership between MTV Entertainment Studios and the Ford and MacArthur foundations, is to help educate its viewers about the powerful impact the AAPI community has had on American culture and help garner support against the hate and discrimination that continues to afflict the AAPI community in the wake of the pandemic, and beyond.

News of the celebration emerged amidst these ongoing acts of violence against the AAPI community. "We are outraged and deeply saddened by the escalation of hate crimes against AAPI communities and stand with them in the fight against xenophobia and bigotry," said MTV President Chris McCarthy. "Hate against one of us is hate against all of us and by working together on a global scale, we can help end this senseless violence."

"Despite these difficult times for our community, the formation of TAAF and their bold work on the See Us Unite campaign represent the best of what can emerge when we share a collective resolve for change," said actor Daniel Dae Kim, who is also on the TAAF board of directors. "They're both great signs for our future."

See Us Unite for Change will air Friday, May 21 at 8 PM EDT on MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, BET, and Nickelodeon. Click here for more information.

Jeremy Lin may just have retired; passes torch to next generation of AAPI players in the NBA

Jeremy Lin's dream of a return to the NBA may have just ended.

After a roller-coaster nine-year career in the National Basketball League, Jeremy Lin has left his future up in the air. In a long, heartbreaking social media post, the Asian American b-baller has given up on his dream to return to the NBA.

After a year in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playing for the Beijing Ducks, Lin took a tremendous pay cut and assured glory to play in the G-League, the NBA's minor league, to prove to coaches and managers that he still had the passion and skill to play with a pro-team.

Although he played well for the Santa Cruz Warriors, associated with the Golden State Warriors, he waited and waited for a call from and NBA team. He watched other players that he actually outplayed in the G-League get called up ... and he continued to wait. He never got the call.

The date he had called his final deadline, May 16, came and went.

Finally, the realization hit him, and he issued the following post Tuesday night on his social media accounts: 

May 16th. In my mind was an imaginary circle around this date for an NBA callup. The final deadline.

After a year in the CBA where I overcame mental barriers from my past, I KNEW I was still an NBA player. Teams all asked if I still had the hunger, health and skill to hang in the NBA. They wanted to see me hoop in-person.

So I gave up a season overseas to go down to the G League - a move few vets dare to make. Ive always known I need to jump through extra hoops to prove I belong so this was par for the course. Im really proud of what I accomplished - I killed it in the G League and objectively showed it being a league leader in all the categories a PG should and shooting career-highs across the board.

For months, I watched as others got contracts, chances, opportunities. I told myself I just need ONE ten-day contract, one chance to get back on the floor and I would blow it out the water. After all that's how my entire career started - off one chance to prove myself.

For reasons I'll never fully know, that chance never materialized. But I proved Im better than ever and an NBA player. But like I've said before... dream big dreams, risk big heartache.

I know I'm blessed - I've had an NBA career beyond my wildest dreams. I've had the luxury of taking a year to chase a dream w/o worrying about paying bills. My family, support team, business partners all waited on me as I gave up being a go-to player in China to go back to the G League.

To the next generation of Asian American ballers - Man, I so wish I could have done more on the NBA court to break more barriers - especially now - but you guys got next. When you get your opportunity, do NOT hesitate. Don't worry whether anyone else thinks you belong there. The world never will. When you get your foot in the door, KICK THAT DOOR DOWN. And then bring others up with you.

I didn't get it done this season, but I have no regrets and hold my head high. As for what's next, I trust what God has in store for me. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

Thanks to everyone whose rolled w me on this journey. I love you all.

 

 

Player identified who called Jeremy Lin "coronavirus"

JEREMY LIN

The player who called Jeremy Lin the "coronavirus" has been identified, says the NBA's G League. But the player won't be named.

"Lin has met the player to discuss the escalating racism and violence toward Asian Americans, and the player understands the impact that hearing his comment had on Lin," read the statement from the league.

The league will handle the matter "internally," meaning that the offending player will likely remain unnamed.

In reaction to the recent spate of violence against Asian American elders, Lin posted on his  social media accounts that  "Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we don't experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble."

"I want better for my elders who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a life for themselves here. I want better for my niece and nephew and future kids. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than to have to work so hard to just be 'deceptively athletic.'

In the same post he wrote that during a game, an opposing player called him "coronavirus."

The next day, the Taiwanese American posted that he did not intend to name the players. "To me, it's not about trying to take somebody down or anything like that," Lin told Don Lemon in an interview on CNN. "It's about building awareness, and it's about promoting solidarity."

Lin is in the midst of trying to make an NBA roster by playing in the G League witht he Santa Cruz Warriors, the Golden State Warriors minor league team. Last year no NBA team signed him up and he spent the season playing for the Beijing professional team. He turned down a lucrative contract to resign with Beijing in order to begin his NBA comeback. 

Although Lin has played well with the Santa Cruz team and shown he still has NBA-level skills, no team has offered the 32-year old guard a contract yet.

Lin broke into the NBA with the Golden State Warriors 11 years ago after he graduated from Yale and was undrafted. He is still the only Taiwanese American players in the pro leagues.

NBA reportedly investigating racist incident against Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin is currently playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors in his comeback attempt.

The National Basketball League is investigating a claim made by Jeremy Lin that he was called "coronavirus" during a game, an official from the NBA's G League told ESPN's Marc J. Spears on Friday.

Former NBA player and currently playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Lin took to Facebook on Thursday night to speak out against the surge of hate crimes experienced by Asians and Asian Americans in the United States.

In his Facebook post, Lin wrote: "Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn't protect me from being called 'coronavirus' on the court."

“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans,” Lin wrote on Facebook. “We are tired of being told that we don’t experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble. We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they’re REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we’re inherently unattractive.

“We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren’t as real. … I want better for my niece and nephew and future kids. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than to have to work so hard to just be “deceptively athletic.”

Lin didn’t go into specific details about being called “coronavirus” on the court — without saying when or where this happened. Kerr said it was brought to his attention Friday night that Lin had expressed his dismay publicly.

Like most Asians and Asian Americans, Lin has watched the videos of people attacking Asian elderly and has been deeply affected.

"After a while, I feel bad,” Lin said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I feel bad for someone who harbors hate for somebody else who they’ve never met just based on skin color or, I don’t even know. It makes me want to do something and it makes me want to educate people, or I don’t know, speak out and find ways to make a difference. Honestly it goes from anger to just heartbreak.”

His entire social media posting follows:

Lin was the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. After graduating from Harvard in 2010, he signed up with the Golden State Warriors. 

In 2011, he played with the New York Knicks coming off the bench. for a stretch of games he was sensational and NYC's fans and media went crazy for him and Linsanity was born.

Hobbled by injuries, he bounced around the league, unable to capture the magic of Linsanity.

In 2019, no NBA team signed him up so he played for the Beijing Ducks, a  team in the Chinese professional basketball league. 

This year, the 32-year old turned down a multi-million offer from the Ducls to play in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. He hopes to prove that he still can play at a level that an NBA team would express interest in signing him up.

Jeremy Lin to donate up to $1M for coronavirus relief organizations

ASAM NEWS

Jeremy Lin announced he will donate up to $1 million to coronavirus relief organizations on Monday, according to The Players’ Tribune.

The 31-year-old American professional basketball player said he would donate $500,000 to the Direct Relief and Feeding America and will match “up to $500,000 of additional donations.”

Lin added that he will continue to feature organizations “that are shining a light into the darkness at this time” on his Instagram, @jlin7.

Lin, the first Taiwanese American to play in the NBA, detailed his experiences with racism during his time with the New York Knicks in the 2011-12 NBA season.

"You know, my whole life, I’ve been treated a certain way because I’m Asian," Lin said. "During the height of 'Linsanity,' I was still the butt of many Asian jokes ... It was just words," he told the International Business Times.

"But over the last few weeks, as the tension and anxiety in the U.S. have gone through the roof, we’re seeing that there’s real darkness beneath the words. It's not just trash-talking or trolling or hateful speech," he added.

“This is deeply personal for me,” he wrote. “People who I love very much, my own friends and family in America, are genuinely scared to leave their homes. At a time when Asian Americans are just as affected and anxious as anyone else about the crisis, they have to deal with this added layer of fear?!?”

Lin emphasized the importance of unity and positivity during the pandemic.

“Each act of goodness matters. Each positive choice will add up,” he said. “In adversity, we will persevere. In challenges, we will overcome. In fear, we will have faith. And in darkness, we will be Light.”

Lin now plays for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), which — like the NBA — has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report. Updated April 15.

Sunday Read: AAPI celebrities decry rise of anti-Asian hysteria, blame Trump

From top left, clockwise" Henry Golding, Lana Condor, Daneil Dae Kim, Eugene Lee Yang, Celia Au and Tzi Ma.

The rising number of attacks against Asians and Asian Americans has pushed Hollywood's creative community to speak out against the senseless violence and the racialization of the coronavirus.

“Please, please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people,” Lost and Hawaii Five-0 actor Daniel Dae Kim pleaded in an a tweet announcing that he had coronavirus. “Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian Americans is cowardly, heartbreaking and it’s inexcusable.”

Awkwafina, who had just returned to the US, has voluntary placed herself in self-isolation, even though she has not shown any symptoms of the virus. She tweeted:“Have been away working for the past few months in all of this devastation, and wanted to make double sure I was OK to travel before coming back home to the U.S.,” she shared on Instagram. 

“Haven’t said much about this whole thing because mostly I am just saddened by it. I worry for those who are most at risk for serious illness, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.”

“I am saddened by the rhetoric that has come out of this, and the cruelty that came as a result,” Awkwafina continued. “I hope that while we self isolate and socially distance to stay safe, we also stay sane and calm. Wishing everyone a sense of peace during this batshit crazy time – I will be locking myself up for the next 2 weeks rewatching the Tiger King. Love you all ❤️❤️❤️.”

Recording artist H.E.R. is joining headliners Elton John and Mariah Carey in a virtual concert Sunday (March 29) evening that will air on the Fox stations, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

What makes it unique is all the artists will be performing from their living rooms, maintaining the stay-at-home recommendations by the CDC, thus avoiding the chance of spreading the virus in large gatherings. Proceeds will benefit coronavirus charities, including Feeding America, and honoring the first responders who represent the “strength and compassion” of America.

"We are chilled by the constant use by the president and his administration of that term," Takei said. "We have a long history of anti-Asian hatred in this country" Star Trek star George Takei, told USA Today.

"His doing that sends a cold chill throughout the Asian American community, because he's sending a signal to the haters and his constituencies, and there are plenty of them there," he said.

Takei has not been hesitant to pointedly criticized Trump. In a tweet, he posted: "We may not have a president, but we still have great leaders. Listen to them when they say #StayHome," he wrote.

In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Wu Assassins star Celia Au pointed out the irony that the people being attacked are also the people most active in fighting the virus. "Many Asian Americans work in the medical field," Au said. "They're already risking their lives going to work every day trying to save your life. By attacking them, they are afraid to go to work. They're afraid that on their way to work, they're going to get attacked by people. … If these people don't go to work, you're not going to get care."

Shannon Lee, daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, recently wrote a not-so-subtle dig of Donald Trump who have pushed the term. "Chinese virus" when referring to the novel coronavirus — which has caused a global pandemic comprising overt a half-million confirmed cases of the disease COVID-19 and over 20,000 deaths. 

"I want us all to understand there is no 'Chinese Virus.' A virus knows no nationality, and wherever and however it started, it does us no good to point fingers, ostracize, attack or demonize Asian people," she posted on her Facebook page.

Even though, Trump later cautioned against attacks against Asian Americans, the phrase is now partially blamed for the uptick of racist attacks against Asians and Asian Americans, from hate-filled messages on social media platforms to physical assaults in public.

Lana Condor, 22, star of To All the Boys I Ever Loved and its sequel To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, was even more blunt in her social media post to Trump:

“You have no idea the ramifications your racist words & actions have on the Asian American community. You simply cannot even fathom the danger you are putting our community in. How dare you.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself. You call yourself a leader?” Condor continued. “You know what leaders do? They LEAD by setting good examples and ACTION. Something we’ve yet to see you do. You need to take notes on Chinese billionaire Jack Ma who is ACTUALLY leading – by donating tests and millions of masks to AMERICA, bc you haven’t.”

Golding's Crazy Rich Asians costar Gemma Chan used her voice to help the caregivers in the United Kingdom, which has universal healthcare.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: star Chloe Bennet, sharing Condor's anger and frustration, said on Instagram, “I can’t tell you how many calls/texts I’ve received from family members, all of Asian descent, speaking to me about their extreme levels of anxiety, shame and fear,” ... “People are being verbally and physically attacked and Asian owned businesses boycotted. And this xenophobic rhetoric is the direct cause.”

On March 17, former Knicks player Jeremy Lin ripped into Trump's handling of the medical crisis and Trump's use of "Chinese virus,"

JEREMY LIN

“And I dont wanna hear about no German measles/Spanish flu [because] everyday Asian-Americans [including people] I know are threatened and physically attacked. I dont give a crap about the history of names [right now]. What I do know is this subtle anti-Chinese message only empowers more hate towards Asians.”

He added: “Can you honestly tell me there is ZERO anti-Chinese sentiment in all his characterizations of the virus? Can you honestly tell me Asians aren't being unfairly physically attacked today in the US? Is it that hard to use coronavirus or COVID-19? We playin the blame game in a crisis.”

From his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lin, who was preparing to return to China to finish off the season playing for the Beijing Ducks, tweeted:

“Excited to hoop again, but leaving the bay worried and with a heavy heart for the sick, the jobless and all those fighting fear, anxiety and stress over the unknown future. Shoutout to our medical staff in the 50 states for working tirelessly and everyone keep doing your part in slowing the virus!

He also added a message for his fans and why he's returning to China  to play ball in trying times such as these.

“The world needs basketball now more than ever. I still remember when I went through my toughest moments and worst injuries. You guys were there for me. I hope to return the favor. As all you beloved fans told me the day after my knee injury, keep fighting bc we’re #NeverDone.”

The Try Guys' Eugene Lee Yang shared a tweet posted March 13 that while at a local coffee shop, "an older woman in front of me demanded her drink get remade because her barista was Asian."

Yang tells The Hollywood Reporter that because he's a comedian, his response was rather abrasive (telling the woman while he was not Chinese, her "ugly-ass knockoff purse" was), but he understands not everyone can give that type of a response and get away with it.

"My job is literally clapping back every day online as a comedian. It wasn't hard for me," Yang tells THR. "That's not the truth or the situation for almost every other Asian American, particularly those who are elderly, those who might have a language barrier, those who are young, those who are female. They don't have that option." His biggest advice to those who experience hate amid the coronavirus outbreak is to "remember you're not bad inherently, you're not wrong."

The rising incidents of racism against Asians gave other celebrities the incentive to launch the "Wash The Hate" campaign, which encourages people to wash their hands, to stem the growth of the coronavirus.

Sparked by an incident that occurred to actor Tzi Ma while visiting a store when a man drove his car past him while saying, "You should be quarantined." The incident shocked the actor, who plays the father in the new incarnation of Mulan, 

Mulan's Tzi Ma spoke with THR about a recent visit of his to Whole Foods in Pasadena. The actor said a man drove a car past him while saying, "You should be quarantined."

"This is in Pasadena, a really diverse community. I was really caught off-guard, and that taught me a lesson," Ma tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I should always be on guard in these troubled times."

The Asian American communications agency IW Group teamed up with Ma to create the social media campaign -- #WashTheHate.

The campaign hopes it will encourage people to practice the CDC recommendation of washing one's hands frequently. But there's another message in the movement.

"We’re hoping this campaign sends a message of solidarity and compassion to the world," Ma shared in a statement. "Hatred and division aren’t going to prevent this virus from spreading and will only make an already difficult situation even worse. We’re calling for everyone — regardless of their race or country of origin — to recognize that we’re all in this fight together."

Jordan Clarkson reacts to his idol Kobe Bryant's death

Jordan Clarkson, who played with Kobe Bryant early in his career on the LA Lakers team. He thanked Bryant for being "more than a teammate," one of many athletes who took to social media expressing their grief over Bryant's death on Sunday.

Filipino American Clarkson, who was traded by the Lakers to the Cleveland Cavaliers, then to the Utah Jazz this off-season, is the only Asian American playing in the NBA since the departure of Jeremy Lin. Lin, who was now plays in China with a professional basketball team, the Beijing Ducks.

Clarkson was one of only 18 players invited to take part in Bryant's mini-camp last summer.

But the soon-to-be free agent spent the summer trying to transform into a different kind of beast, developing the Mamba Mentality while working out with legend Kobe Bryant.

“Those were like the best two days of my summer,” Clarkson said. “He sat us down and we had a whole schedule. I feel like those two days I learned so much and it was great. Amazing process.”

Clarkson's takeaway from the camp was developing that the Mamba Mentality. It’s about a player constantly trying to be the best version of himself. It’s about improving each day.

Upon hearing about Bryant's death, Lin, who was also a former teammate of Bryant and Clarkson on the Lakers, posted this on his twitter account:

Jeremy Lin to play basketball for a Chinese pro-team

Jeremy Lin didn't quit the NBA, the NBA quit him. He signed with the Beijing Ducks yesterday.

ASAM NEWS

It’s official. Jeremy Lin has signed to play basketball overseas with the Beijing Ducks, reports ESPN.

The deal ends for now, his nine year career in the NBA.

The Ducks made the announcement today (Aug. 27), saying it was in the process of finalizing all the paperwork. No word yet on how much Lin will make although earlier rumors had him agreeing to a $3-million contract.

Last season he played for three different teams and earned $13.8 million, according to Spotrac. That’s just slightly less than the $14.9 million contract he signed with the Lakers in 2014-2015-his best year salary wise.

Back in July, the Harvard grad hinted that he would be leaving the NBA when he declared “the NBA has kind of given up on me.”

Lin has a supersized following on social media and is considered a rock star in China. “Beijing, I’m coming,” he declared on the Chinese social media app Douyin.

Today, he posted a picture of himself in wearing his new jersey alongside his brother, who signed with the Fubon Braves, who play in the same league. Jeremy Lin, although born and raised in California, speaks fluent Mandarin.

Lin last season became the first Asian American player to win an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors. Although he got little playing time in the playoffs, he averaged 7 points per game during the regular season for the Raptors. Over his nine seasons, he averaged 11.6 points per game and 4.3 assists.

In late July, during a @&A with fans in Taiwan, he became emotional while discussing his then-ongoing free agency: “I feel in some ways like the NBA has given up on me.”

He’s joining a team that has won three league titles in the Chinese Basketball Association and is considered a powerhouse. Former NBA star Stephon Marbury led the team to league championships in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Marbury, who retired at the end of the 2017-18 season, is now the head coach of the Ducks' rival team -- the Beijing Royal Fighters.

"I always knew my path would go through the CBA, solely because I knew how much of an honor it would be to hoop in front of all my Chinese fans," Lin said in his Instagram post. "I'm here now and there is more history to be made!.'

With Lin's departure from the NBA, Filipino American Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers becomes the only Asian American player in the pros. At one time when both Lin and Clarkson played for the Los Angeles Lakers, the tandem formed the first all-Asian American starting backcourt.

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The real story why b-baller Jeremy Lin Isn't In the NBA

Jeremy Lin reinjures his knee while playing for the New York Nets.

Here's one for you real basketball fans who want to get into the intracacies and subtleties of the game you love or anyone who has followed Jeremy Lin's career for the past 10 years.

Coach Nick takes a deep dive into the footage to find out why no team has invited Lin to play for them in the upcoming season.

Lin is in Taiwan right now pondering what the future holds for him. A free agent, no NBA team has offered him a position even though, as this breakdown shows, he clearly still has the skills and could prosper in the right kind of system barring injury.

When Linsanity hit, Jeremy Lin was on top of the world, giving hope to all New York Knicks fans. But his journey became complicated by bad situations and poor team fits, and it's left Lin confused and upset as no team is willing to offer him a contract.

Maybe somebody like Coach Kerr of the Golden State Warriors will spot this and offer Lin a chance to play in the preseason to see if he fits into his system, which requires quickness and unselfish play. An occasional 3-ball won't hurt as well.

Its obvious that Lin can still play ball but due to coaching strategies or indifferent players that didn't utilize Lin's skills properly, the Taiwanese American is coming to the realization that he may have played his last game in the NBA If that's the case, at least he's leaving after winning an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors.

RELATED: What's race got to do with basketball credibility. Evidently, a lot

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Houston Rockets GM confirms what we already knew re: Jeremy Lin

Opinion

As an Asian American man, I can relate to Jeremy Lin, who at one point was the only Asian American player in the National Basketball Association.

No, I couldn't dunk or execute a pick and roll. My game was journalism. Except for my time at the San Francisco-based Philippine News and at the Bob Maynard-owned Oakland Tribune, I was often the only Asian American in the newsroom.

As I worked my way up the food chain, eventually becoming an editorial writer, I wa able to influence news coverage - especially when it came to covering minority communities. I know if I wasn't there, if I hadn't spoken up, if I hadn't assigned an angle to a story, those stories and perspectives would never have been written.

So, it wasn't surprising to hear an NBA executive admit what Asian Americans already knew -- Lin was often overlooked and underappreciated because he was of Asian descent.

The Houston Rockets and general manager Daryl Morey already had a good idea of what Jeremy Lin was capable of before Lin entered the 2010 NBA draft after starring on the Harvard basketball team.

Morey opened up about their scouting report on Lin on Michael Lewis’ 2016 book titled “The Undoing Project.” On the book, Morey claimed their model told them that Lin belongs in the top 15 of the draft. However, during this time, Morey still didn’t trust their model completely and passed on him, via Reddit (u/shoot_your_shot).

Here’s an excerpt from Lewis' book on Morey's evaluation of Lin:

“He lit up our model,” said Morey. “Our model said take him with, like, the 15th pick in the draft.” The objective measurement of Jeremy Lin didn’t square with what the experts saw when they watched him play; a not terribly athletic Asian kid. Morey hadn’t completely trusted his model - and so had chickened out and not drafted Lin. 

A year after the Houston Rockets failed to draft Jeremy Lin, they began to measure the speed of a player’s first two steps: Jeremy Lin had the quickest first move of any player measured. He was explosive and was able to change direction far more quickly than most NBA players. 

“He’s incredibly athletic,” said Morey. “But the reality is that every **** person, including me, thought he was unathletic. And I can’t think of any reason for it other than he was Asian.”

To his credit, Lin accepted the unasked for role of "representing" Asian Americans and often spoke out about the racial slights he experiences in the league and civil rights abuses that have grown in the US.

In a sense, Lin suffered as the "model minority" in a sport dominated by African American athletes. He was a "smart" "team-first" player; he wasn't athletic enough, fast enough or tough enough; he was seen as a novelty whose position was "given" to him, not an athlete who "earned" his accolades.

"And still, Lin’s stats have been healthier than most would guess," writes Kyle Wagner for the Daily News. "In his healthy seasons, he shoots around 60 percent at the rim, and his true shooting percentage — the gold standard for an “efficient” player — has flirted with very good to elite levels. He has been an undeniably useful guard."

Over the weekend, sadly told a church audience in Taiwan, “Free agency has been tough because I feel like in some ways the NBA has kind of given up on me.” 

That's too bad. Lin is not a great player, but he's a good player and at 30 years of age, better than many other guards who have signed multi-million dollar contracts.

Linsanity is a distant memory, but Lin's story chipped away at old stereotypes and biases that Morey's admission proves are difficult to undo -- and, we're not talking just about the NBA.

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