It might come as a surprise to most NBA fans, but Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin, whose basketball prowess created the term "Linsanity," actually dealt with a lot of bullies throughout his life and career.
"For me, growing up Asian American and trying to play basketball was a bit tough at times," Lin says in a YouTube video. "Sometimes people would make fun of me and just say, 'Oh, you're Yao Ming.'"
"That's not that bad, but sometimes it would get worse and people would say, 'You're a Chinese import' or 'go back to China' or 'can you see the scoreboard with your eyes?' And then sometimes it got really ridiculous," he says.
The racial jabs are enough to upset anyone, says Lin. There was one time when he fought back against his bullies. When his coach saw him, he was given a piece of advice that forever changed his life.
"My coach told me after the game, 'Jeremy, when people say that to you they're trying to get in your head,'" Lin shares. "Honestly the best thing to do is take that negative energy and turn it into positive energy. Fuel yourself, motivate yourself with that. Don't react in anger."
Lin realises that bullies only torment other people because they are unhappy and have a lot of insecurities themselves, so it's important to stay strong even if other people are trying to pull you down.
"Don't let anyone else tell you who you are or what you can or can't do," he advises other bullied kids. "Definitely look inside yourself, have confidence in yourself, believe in yourself and understand what makes you such a unique and special person. Everybody has different and really cool characteristics and talents."
Being bullied might be tough, but Lin says these experiences will only make a person stronger.
