Jeremy Lin announced he will donate up to $1 million to coronavirus relief organizations on Monday, according to The Players’ Tribune.
The 31-year-old American professional basketball player said he would donate $500,000 to the Direct Relief and Feeding America and will match “up to $500,000 of additional donations.”
Lin added that he will continue to feature organizations “that are shining a light into the darkness at this time” on his Instagram, @jlin7.
Lin, the first Taiwanese American to play in the NBA, detailed his experiences with racism during his time with the New York Knicks in the 2011-12 NBA season.
“This is deeply personal for me,” he wrote. “People who I love very much, my own friends and family in America, are genuinely scared to leave their homes. At a time when Asian Americans are just as affected and anxious as anyone else about the crisis, they have to deal with this added layer of fear?!?”
Lin emphasized the importance of unity and positivity during the pandemic.
“Each act of goodness matters. Each positive choice will add up,” he said. “In adversity, we will persevere. In challenges, we will overcome. In fear, we will have faith. And in darkness, we will be Light.”
Lin now plays for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), which — like the NBA — has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
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