Former NBA player Ty Lawson has publicly addressed the Instagram post that got him banned for life from the Chinese Basketball Association — and he didn't exactly lament his social media choices.
On Saturday, Lawson posted two NSFW images on his Instagram story while in a club in China. Lawson's first post featured a lewd comment about Chinese women, then he posted a selfie of him dancing with a woman.
Ty Lawson has been banned for life from the Chinese CBA after posting this on Instagram pic.twitter.com/mJR92t8Y3I
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) September 19, 2020
Lawson went back to Instagram on Monday to address the strong reaction to his posts, particular the racial connotations of the word “cake.”
“I'm probably the least racist guy you've ever met in your life, like I have fun with anybody,” the ex-NBA guard said. “‘Cakes' means that she had a nice body. That's it, you're taking it too far. I meant no disrespect, and all the racism and disrespect coming towards me is wild … Anybody who knows me in China knows I'm not that person, at all. I was literally saying that she had a nice body, and I danced at a club.”
Lawson also clarified that he was not in a strip club, and he relayed an anecdote about teaching Chinese peers of him about a Lil Uzi Vert song to illustrate that he is not “disrespectful” towards Chinese people.
Ty Lawson trying to explain what 'cakes' mean to stop Chinese people from being racist towards him on Instagram pic.twitter.com/vBN0f0Rr9h
— Bacon, Grits, Eggs (@reddawg77089) September 20, 2020
Ty Lawson played his last three years of professional basketball in the CBA.
In the wake of the incident, Lawson's representation, The Sports Law Group, terminated their relationship with the point guard, Michael Scotto at HoopsHype reported.
Lawson played eight seasons in the NBA, including six with the Denver Nuggets. The former North Carolina Tar Heels star averaged 12.7 points and 6.0 assists per game over his career. His last season in the league came in 2016-17 when he played 69 games for the Sacramento Kings. He also suited up for the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers during the 2015-16 season.
Lawson was arrested four times for driving while intoxicated, most recently in 2015, and was court ordered to enter an alcohol treatment program. He was also sentenced to community service and probation, which he violated after failing multiple alcohol tests. His recent behavior in China may be alcohol-related, per Sports Illustrated.
“His inappropriate words are inconsistent with the social responsibilities and values abided by our club and have brought serious adverse social impacts to the club and the league,” the Fujian Sturgeons said in a statement as they parted ways with the former NBA player. “We will not sign him for the new season.”
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