Jeremy Lin has played 25 or more minutes per game in each season since he became a household name with the New York Knicks four years ago, but he apparently still has trouble with security staffers not recognizing him when he shows up to work.
In a lengthy interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Lin was asked if he still encounters racism on the job or in everyday life. He hinted that he believes he is a victim of racial profiling when he’s stopped by arena security.
“I still get stopped when I try to go through away arenas and stuff, and I’m walking with my teammates, and obviously none of them are Asian but I’m the only one that gets stopped, and they ask for my credentials, stuff like that,” Lin explained. “‘Hey, we need your credentials,’ or ‘Are you part of the team?’ Stuff like that. But I really don’t let it affect me. … I’m so used to it now. It doesn’t bother me.
“There’s gonna be racism everywhere I go, and some of it’s more subtle, some of it’s less malicious. I mean, every day there’s guys with certain stereotypes or whatever, and it’s not just me. But yeah, I still go through it.”
Lin also said he sometimes has “really racist things” said to him on Twitter, but he understands that is an unfortunate part of the world we live in.
If you remember, Lin dealt with insensitive racist jokes almost immediately at the height of his “Linsanity” era in New York. Some of it came from his own team, and there were also ignorant marketing ploys from major companies. It’s a shame he still has to put up with it.
