Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard shows his support for the Asian-American community amid the controversy surrounding the minority group as of late.

Lillard came into Friday's bout against the Orlando Magic wearing a shirt with the message: “Stop Asian Hate” (h/t NBA on ESPN on Twitter):

Former NBA player Jeremy Lin, who himself is of Asian descent, caught wind of the show of support by the Blazers star and took to Twitter to show his appreciation:

Lin has been at the forefront of the fight against racism on Asians in the United States. Currently plying his trade with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Lin was involved in an alleged incident of racism during an NBA G League game. This served as sort of the last straw for the one-time NBA champ, as he set on an all-out campaign against hate and violence that the Asian-American community continues to endure.

For his part, Damian Lillard was in street clothes for Friday's game due to a knee contusion. Dame is as tough as they come in the NBA, so this injury is significant enough for the Blazers scorer to have to sit out a game.

Then again, the Blazers were in action on Thursday. Friday's game against the Magic is the second night of a back-to-back set. At 30, Dame is no spring chicken and at this point in his career, sitting out games might actually be the smart thing to do with the big picture in mind. He has also been playing through a number of other injuries, so Lillard was due for a night off.