Days after Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election, NBA star Jeremy Lin weighed in on Trump's victory even as he expressed his thoughts on racial issues facing the country.
"I know this election is about wayyy more than just race, but yesterday further revealed how big of an issue racism still is and how many minority groups are still threatened in this country," he wrote on his Facebook page. "But long-term, real change requires unification, reconciliation and compassion...one small step at a time. Spread love today! Let's get to work."
The Brooklyn Nets point guard then shared the Bible verse John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Despite his current fame and status, Lin admitted earlier that he still gets subjected to racial discrimination. The Christian athlete said the discrimination used to bother him, but he has learned how to let go of the negativity and focus on what's good instead.
"I still get stopped when I try to go through away arenas and stuff, and I'm walking with my teammates, and obviously none of them are Asian but I'm the only one that gets stopped, and they ask for my credentials, stuff like that," he once told the New York Post. "'Hey, we need your credentials,' or 'Are you part of the team?' Stuff like that."
"I just shake it off, it's not a big deal," he continued. "I really don't let it affect me... I'm so used to it now. It doesn't bother me."
Lin said the trick to overcoming negativity is simply to focus on God and live his life with "high character" in a way God would be proud of. "I'm not perfect. I've made many mistakes. But that's what I try to put my effort towards: playing and living in a way where if God looked at me, he'd say, 'Wow, I'm proud of you.' So that's the ultimate approval I could get is God's, versus a reporter's or a coach's," he told the Charlotte Observer.
