Charlotte Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin defends against Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose. (Photo : Getty Images/Jonathan Daniel)
After making headlines for being "so white," the Academy Awards 2016 is once again under fire because of the jokes made by its host Chris Rock, 51, involving Asian kids. One of those who were not pleased with the joke is Charlotte Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin, 27.
Seriously though, when is this going to change?!? Tired of it being "cool" and "ok" to bash Asians smh #Oscars https://t.co/1nBvAd3V0q
AdvertisementLike Us on Facebook— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) February 29, 2016
In a skit during the 88th Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 28, Sunday, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Rock brought in three Asian children and introduced them as "bankers" from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, a multinational professional services network.
"They sent us their most dedicated, accurate and hardworking representatives," Rock joked. "Please welcome Ming Zhu, Bao Ling and David Moskowitz. If anybody's upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids."
Indeed, several celebrities of Asian descent took to Twitter to express their disappointment with the joke often described as crude. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" actor Harry Shum Jr., 33, and "Fresh off the Boat" star Constance Wu, 33, joined Lin in slamming Rock.
Lin was born in Torrance, California, but was born in Palo Alto. Raised in a Christian family, the basketball player is known as one of the sports stars who are vocal about their Christian faith.
In the mid-1970s, the NBA star's parents Lin Gie-Ming and Shirley Lin immigrated to the United States from Taiwan. Both of his paternal and maternal grandparents were originally from China.
Before the Hornets, Jeremy played for several NBA teams. These are the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Recently, Miami Heat power forward and center Amar'e Stoudemire, 33, talked about the days he and Jeremy were Knicks teammates.
"Jeremy was a great, great guy, great with teammates, worked hard," Stoudemire told New York Post. "He put the work in. We were proud of him having his moment."
It appears that Stoudemire is not the only sports star who is a fan of Jeremy. On March 1, Tuesday, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams driver Kyle Larson and his girlfriend Katelyn Sweet were in Time Warner Cable Arena to see Jeremy and watch the Hornets' win over the Phoenix Suns, Fox Sports reported.
Know more about Jeremy in this "Linsanity 2.0- Redefining Success" clip:
