Jeremy Lin Responds to Ex-Nets Player Kenyon Martin's Criticisms for Donning Dreadlocks
Former NBA player Kenyon Martin recently called out Jeremy Lin for donning his dreadlocks. Meanwhile, the latter responded by thanking Martin for the criticisms.
Last week, Lin was seen sporting dreadlocks during team practice and a recent preseason game. Martin immediately reacted to Lin's new hairstyle by sharing a photo of the younger player on Instagram that he captioned: "I have so many questions!!!!" The said post has already been deleted.
The photo post was then followed by a couple of videos where Martin said: "Do I need to remind this d*** boy that his last name Lin?" He added: "Come on, man. Somebody really need to tell him, like, 'All right bro, we get it; you want to be black.' Like, we get it. But the last name is Lin, all right?"
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Meanwhile, in a recently published article on The Players Tribune, Lin explained why he decided to have dreadlocks. The point guard narrated how in the process of getting it done, he went through various conversations with several former and current teammates as well as team staff.
So...about my hair! Link in bio!! @chap #dreaded
A post shared by Jeremy Lin (@jlin7) on Oct 3, 2017 at 2:26pm PDT
"I was really unsure about getting dreads because I was worried I'd be appropriating black culture," Lin admitted. However, he also shared that at the time, he had been having some talks with Nets staff member Savannah Hart. In Lin's words: "She said that if it wasn't my intention to be dismissive of another culture, then maybe it could be an opportunity to learn about that culture."
In the same article, Lin candidly told readers that he was willing to hear more comments and said: "Because honestly, I may be wrong here."
The issue of cultural appropriation has been a recurring matter in media. Several celebrities and media outlets were previously called out for their alleged insensitivity of using and wrongfully referencing styles that were native to one's culture.
Lin, in the same Players Tribune article, also addressed the issue of cultural appropriation and said: "as an Asian-American, I do know something about cultural appropriation. I know what it feels like when people get my culture wrong. ... So of course, I never want to do that to another culture."
