Jeremy Lin Defends J.J. Redick, Believes He Didn’t Say ‘Chink’ in Controversial Video

Asian American NBA star Jeremy Lin had a conversation with Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard JJ Redick regarding his use of a racial slur against Chinese people.

Redick earned massive criticism online after he referred to his Chinese fans as “chinks” in a video.

The now-viral clip, in which other NBA stars also gave Chinese New Year greetings, Redick said, “I just wanted to wish all the NBA c—k fans of China a very happy Chinese New Year.”

Redick would later explain that he was “tongue-tied” while addressing the NBA’s Chinese fans:

In a lengthy tweet, Lin wrote that after their conversation, he believes that it was not Redick’s intention to use the slur to offend the Chinese.

Lin then called upon fans to refrain from using hateful language against Redick and the NBA.

Redick officially apologized after his conversation with Lin:

Lin, who revealed last year that he encountered more racism in college at Harvard than during his time in the NBA, has been very vocal about his stance on racism.

Earlier this month, Lin demonstrated class in handling an online troll who called him a “chink” on Twitter.