*In 2017, former NBA player Kenyon Martin ignited widespread criticism after mocking Jeremy Lin for wearing dreadlocks. When Lin, then with the Brooklyn Nets, debuted the hairstyle, Martin posted a video on Instagram that many found offensive.
“Do I need to remind this damn boy that his last name Lin?” Martin said. “Like, come on man. Let’s stop this, man, with these people, man. There is no way possible that he would have made it on one of our teams with that bulls— goin’ on on his head. Come on man, somebody need to tell him, like, ‘All right bro, we get it. You wanna be black.’ Like, we get it. But the last name is Lin.”
The remarks sparked backlash. Many perceived the statements as racially charged, prompting Martin to clarify that his comments were intended as a joke, not a racial insult. “It was meant to be a ‘Ha Ha Ha’ moment,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I wasn’t trying to be racist.” Martin also noted that he messaged Lin afterward, adding, “I have no problem with Jeremy, man.”
“This was never meant to be racial,” Kenyon told Sports Illustrated at the time. “It was thought of as what would’ve been done in our locker room. It would’ve been jokes. We would’ve been making jokes. It’s far from racist. I guess saying ‘Wanting to be black’ made it racial. But I despise people that look down because of race.”
Martin was particularly upset that criticism extended to his family. “People were sending messages to my son. Say whatever to me… but then those are the things that are coming across. ‘You n—– this. Your n—– that.’”
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Lin took a different approach, responding with grace both on Instagram and in an essay for The Players’ Tribune. “Hey man, it’s all good. You definitely don’t have to like my hair… At the end of the day, I appreciate that I have dreads and you have Chinese tattoos [because] I think its a sign of respect.”
Lin also discussed cultural appropriation, emphasizing the importance of empathy and mutual understanding among minorities.
In a separate video, Martin added: “That man grown, that man can rock whatever hairstyle he want to rock… That don’t mean I have to like it or agree with it.”
Reflecting on the backlash, Martin said, “You definitely have to be careful the way you word things… There’s no teacher like experience.”
MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Kenyon Martin Drags Jeremy Lin for Wearing Dreadlocks: ‘You Wanna Be Black’
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