J.R. Smith took to Twitter to defend himself against a suggestion that he ever was racist toward former Knicks teammate Jeremy Lin.
Lin did not directly make such an accusation, but Craig Carton asked the Nets point guard about racial tension in the Knicks locker room on WFAN’s “Boomer & Carton Show” on Wednesday morning, and specifically mentioned Smith.
“There’s the thought and I believe this, so I’ll say it’s my thought, maybe no one else’s, that there’s a racial component that because you’re a Chinese-American player, that certain African-American players in your locker room, J.R. being one of them, did not want to accept you as a ballplayer,” Carton said, “and when you were offered money to play and this big contract comes your way, there’s resentment because of where you’re from and who you are. Did you ever feel that?”
Lin hesitated a bit and explained that it’s all speculation.
“I’ve never spoken to J.R. about it. I’ve never spoken to whoever else you might think about it. So, it’s hard for me because I don’t want come out and speculate,” Lin said. “The one thing I will say is that race has been a huge part of my journey ever since I was a child trying to play basketball. So, I do think there was always that type of component that would be involved, but again as I’ve always said, it’s a double-edged sword. It comes with the good; it comes with the bad. Yeah, sometimes I’m different. I look different and I’m treated different and that’s a negative thing, and in some ways that’s a really positive thing, too.
“Like, Linsanity wouldn’t have been Linsanity if I was white, or black, or whatever. Part of the reason why it was so crazy is because I’m Asian. So to answer your question, I do think race definitely plays a part into it, I think it always has, and to what degree or to how much or to who felt what, that I can’t really specifically give a good answer for you.”
In a trio of tweets on Wednesday, Smith denied such claims that he treated Lin improperly or was racist toward him.
“I never want to entertain this topic but whoever said i am or was racist to @JLin7 because he was Asian is wrong on so many levels!” Smith, a member of the NBA-champion Cleveland Cavaliers, tweeted on his @TheRealJRSmith account. “I went to the #ESPYS to support him when all of Lin-sanity was going on stood up for him when other players knocked him down.”
Smith concluded: “Don’t ever in your life try an play me as racist. For someone who grew up where I did (in New Jersey) I know a little thing about it an it’s never ok!”
Without implying any racial motivation, former Knicks teammate Amar’e Stoudemire and ex-coach Mike D’Antoni said earlier this year that they believed Carmelo Anthony and other players were jealous of Lin’s instant popularity during his brief stint with the team in 2012.
“Everyone wasn’t a fan of him being the new star. So he didn’t stay long,” Stoudemire said in March of Lin, who signed as a free agent with Houston that summer. “But Jeremy was a great, great guy. Great teammate. He worked hard. He put the work in and we’re proud of him to have his moment. A lot of times you gotta enjoy someone’s success. And that wasn’t the case for us during that stretch…He was becoming a star and I don’t think everybody was pleased with that.”
