Charlotte Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin admitted that his reaction over an Asian stereotype joke during the 88th Oscars on Sunday was a chance for him to stand up for his fellow Asians, who are constantly subjected to racial discrimination.
Lin, who is of Chinese descent, said he was disappointed at Oscars host Chris Rock's stereotype jokes about Asians being "dedicated, accurate and hardworking." While Lin admitted he has "no issues" with Rock, the American-Taiwanese believes it is high-time the same level of respect applies to all ethnicities.
"I thought it was a chance for me to stand up for Asians," Lin said, reports ESPN. "I just feel like sometimes the way people perceive Asians or Asian-Americans today can be disappointing in the way they view them."
"Even Asian-American masculinity or whatever you want to talk about, just a lot of the ways that Asians are perceived I don't always agree with."
After Sunday night's award, Lin took on Twitter to comment about Rock's Asian jokes. The 27-year-old posted a message from the Washington Post that questions the Oscars' aim for diversity, yet presenting a skit of a "crude Asian joke."
But Lin claimed his remarks on the social media platform was not to bash the comedian. The former Knicks point guard confessed he actually enjoyed Rock's opening monologue at the annual awards event about the lack of diversity in the Oscars award nominations.
Meanwhile, Lin had a quiet game for the Hornets following his reaction to Rock's racial skit.
The Hornets defeated the Phoenix Suns 126-92 on Tuesday in Charlotte, but Lin only logged limited opportunities off the bench, scoring 6 points on 17 minutes of playing time.
The win puts the Hornets at sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings (31-28) ahead of the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, who are both carrying a 31-29 record.
"We had good energy, and played with good purpose," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
"We've done a lot better job on the road the last month, so we've given ourselves a chance here [at the playoffs].
Video courtesy: The Charlotte Observer