NBA star Jeremy Lin says he faced more racism in college than he does in the NBA

Brooklyn Nets star Jeremy Lin, one of the few Asian-Americans in the NBA, said Wednesday that he endured more racist comments while playing in college than he has while in the pros.

Lin, who attended Harvard and burst onto the scene while playing for the New York Knicks in 2012, a period referred to as “Linsanity” by fans, has since bounced around the league, playing for four teams in the past five seasons.

In that time, Lin has never been one to hide his feelings, posting regularly to his social media accounts and speaking about his Christian faith. And on Wednesday, speaking on Nets’ teammate Randy Foye’s podcast, Lin opened up about his personal experiences with racism.

Lin told Foye that he experienced more racist comments from players, coaches and fans while playing in the Ivy League and against other highly-regarded academic schools, per ESPN.

At Cornell, Lin said he was heckled by opponents with an ethnic slur for Asians, which resulted in him losing his cool.

“That game, I ended up playing terrible and getting a couple of charges and doing real out-of-character stuff. My teammate told my coaches they were calling Jeremy a c---k the whole first half,” Lin said.

At Georgetown, Lin said, fans shouted negative Asian stereotypes, such as "chicken fried rice" and "beef lo mein" and "beef and broccoli,” throughout the game. At Yale, fans mocked him about his eyes.

“They were like, ‘Hey! Can you even see the scoreboard with those eyes?’” Lin told Foye.

Lin also recalled an incident while playing Vermont in which he lifted his arms while one of his opponents was shooting a free throw. From the sideline, Vermont’s coach yelled at the referee.

“Hey ref! You can't let that Oriental do that!” Lin recalled the coach saying. He then recalled his teammates asking the referee to intervene, but the referee did nothing.

While Lin attended Harvard, the Crimson played at Vermont in 2006, Lin’s freshman year, and hosted the Catamounts a year later.

Because of his experiences, Lin said he was prepared for more comments once he reached the NBA.

“When I got to the NBA, I thought this is going to be way worse. But it is way better. Everybody is way more under control,” Lin told Foye.

Still, Lin has been the subject of some racist actions and remarks while a pro. In 2012, at the height of “Linsanity,” ESPN posted a headline using a racial slur for Asians, which was quickly deleted, per Deadspin. Other incidents included comments from media personalities like Jason Whitlock and fellow athletes like Floyd Mayweather, per the Guardian.

In 2015, just 0.2 percent of all players in the NBA were Asian or of Asian descent, according to a study.

More recently, the issue of racism in professional sports was raised after MLB star Adam Jones said fans in Boston used a racial slur to taunt him and threw a bag of peanuts at his head.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 10:43 PM with the headline "NBA star Jeremy Lin says he faced more racism in college than he does in the NBA."