Jeremy Lin Donates Additional $150,000 to Combat COVID-19

American basketball player Jeremy Lin announced his intention to donate an additional $150,000 towards fighting the COVID-19 virus. In his post on instagram, the Beijing Duck player also called for a stop to racism and xenophobia.

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve been monitoring coronavirus and the darkness it’s casted over the world. News headlines of racism, xenophobia, attacks on Asians and decaying trust towards people. All heartbreaking and the opposite of God’s kingdom. But for every fear-inducing headline, I see hope. I see doctors and nurses fighting the front lines in China, Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy and more. I see people helping people in countries regardless of race or background.”

Prior to the $150,000 donation, Lin donated 1 million yuan through his basketball foundation in China, which was used for medical equipment in Wuhan. Lin reminded his followers to do their parts in the quarantine process, from washing hands, wearing a mask, to sharing facts and preventative measures.

“With my bball foundation in China, we’ve donated 1 million RMB to get medical equipment to Wuhan. I’ll also be donating an additional $150,000 towards fighting this virus. Let’s all do our part to quarantine, wash our hands vigorously, wear a protective mask to avoid germs spreading and do our part to share facts and preventative measures. Stay together, fight on!” Lin said via his instagram.

Lin’s professional career in China came to a halt earlier in January as the Chinese Basketball Association suspended the league indefinitely. There has been no official announcements on the future of the CBA. Chinese media Sina Sports reported that the league may come back in early or mid April. The CBA is also considering assembling all 20 teams in the league together to play out the rest of the season.

CBS Sports also reported that American basketball players currently playing for CBA teams were asked to return to China to meet their teams. According to ESPN reporter Jonathan Givony, some players confirmed that they have no intention on returning to China due to safety concerns. The Chinese league threatened that those who do not comply or honor the contracts may be banned from the league for life. Agents who have players not returning to China will face a 2 to 3-year punitive ban from the league as well.

Several notable former NBA players are currently under contract with CBA teams. Other than Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson and Ty Lawson are also playing in the CBA. Lance Stephenson was reported to be in talks with the Indiana Pacers to come back to the NBA. However, after the NBA came to a sudden suspension as Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus, Stephenson’s odds on returning to the NBA are diminishing.

The COVID-19 virus started to have a larger impact on events around the world as the number of cases continues to rise worldwide. The NCAA cancelled its traditional March Madness due to public health concerns, and a number of US schools and universities decided to end their terms early. Sports leagues including MLS, NHL, and NBA also suspended their seasons.

Italy is currently under an unprecedented lockdown, which applies to sports and particularly its Serie A football league. As Real Madrid footballers were forced to go into quarantine, the Spanish top football league La Liga was also suspended. In Montreal, Canada, the World Figure Skating Championship was also cancelled due to fears of the COVID-19 spread.

The COVID-19 crisis also led to intense travel restrictions from different countries. The US President Donald Trump announced an unexpected travel ban on European nationals for 30 days. Economic uncertainty has led to an overall downtown. Over the last few days, North American stock markets suffered significant losses and could take some time to recover.