Jeremy Lin Only Praised for Being Asian, Floyd Mayweather Claims
Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather recently questioned if New York Knicks newcomer Jeremy Lin is being overrated because of his race, with his comments causing some backlash.
However, Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather's biggest rival in the ring has come to the newest Knicks point guard's defense.
"Jeremy Lin has stepped up just in the Knick of time," Pacquiao tweeted on Sunday. "He is a great player."
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However, Pacquiao's rival seemed to cause controversy on Twitter by expressing his opinion about Lin's acclaim stemming from the novelty of his ethnicity in the sport.
"Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian," Mayweather tweeted. "Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."
After Mayweather tweeted his opinion, various people called his claims ridiculous. Spike Lee, an award-winning veteran filmaker and notorious Knicks fan, spoke out against Mayweather's tweet.
"Floyd Mayweather sounds like Rush Limbaugh when he talks about Jeremy Lin saying he's only getting attention because he's Asian," Lee tweeted. "If you can play, you can play and Jeremy Lin can play. Maybe Mayweather should come to the garden and see him up close."
Aside from being the first Chinese-American to play in the NBA, Lin has broken records after playing in his first five NBA regular season games. After his first week starting for the NBA, Lin managed to become the first player in NBA history to put up numbers of at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starting games.
Lin also made history after becoming the second highest scoring player in league history over a period of four game starts. The guard managed to score 109 points in his first four starts, ahead of hall-of-famers like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
Still, Mayweather defended his stance on Lin's ethnicity factoring into his acclaim in a league with predominantly black players.
"Other countries get to support/cheer their athletes and everything is fine," Mayweather tweeted on Monday. "As soon as I support black American athletes, I get criticized. Wow what a country."
While Mayweather was receiving backlash for his assumption on Twitter, Pacquiao decided to end the Lin conversation on a positive note.
"God bless Jeremy Lin," Pacquiao tweeted on Tuesday.
In a previous interview with the Houston Rockets ESPN affiliate, Red 94, Lin said he did not want to focus on being the first Chinese-American in the league. Instead, he said he wants to glorify God.
"I try not to focus too much on that I'm just thankful to God that I'm able to be where I am right now and to play for this team," Lin said. "I just try to take it day by day and really carry myself in a way that's glorifying to God. That's just what i really worry about."
WATCH TO SEE JEREMY LIN TALK GET COMPARED TO TEBOW IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WATCH TO SEE THE JEREMY LIN THANK JESUS CHRIST ON NATIONAL TELVESION
