Jeremy Lin opens basketball school in Toronto to empower Asian youth

Taiwanese American basketball player Jeremy Lin announced that he will open a school for aspiring basketball players of Asian descent in Toronto, where he won the 2019 NBA championship with the Raptors.

The prejudice that Lin faced throughout the early stages of his career, from racially charged insults during his college days at Harvard to microaggressions from scouts who overlooked his athleticism during his NBA draft process, put a strain on his relationship with his Asian heritage.

Lin shared the news about the Jeremy Lin Basketball School at a local basketball clinic earlier this month. His main reason behind opening his school was to inspire a new generation of ballers, aged 3 to 16, to embrace their Asian identities.

“I’m passionate about players becoming better at basketball but I’m also probably even more passionate about Asian American kids growing up with confidence, with self-esteem, being proud to be Asian, which was something that I wasn’t growing up,” Lin told “The Raptors Show” last week.

The basketball school’s program, which was developed in consultation with Lin, centers on a curriculum that incorporates physical and nonphysical activities to teach key elements of the sport, including communication and teamwork.

Lin’s school opens a decade after he shocked the basketball world with a string of inspiring performances that transformed a floundering New York Knicks squad into a playoff contender, sparking a cultural phenomenon that transformed him into a symbol for Asian American excellence called “Linsanity.”

While he regrets not using his platform off the court during “Linsanity” to uplift the community that he galvanized with his on-court accomplishments, Lin is now making more of a commitment to help the Asian diaspora.

Featured Image via CCYAA TV

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