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Former NBA player Kenyon Martin wants to make things clear about his comments on Jeremy Lin's latest hairstyle.
Martin recently drew flak after he said that Lin's new dreadlocks are inappropriate for a player who is not African-American. He even got the ire of rapper Lil B aka The BasedGod, known for putting a “curse” on NBA players.
Also to ex Nba player Kenyon Martin! Who cares if Jeremy Lin wants to be black or whoever u just watch the hate or you be cursed! – Lil B
— Lil B THE BASEDGOD (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) October 6, 2017
NBA Kenyon Martin is cursed for his no reason hating on Jermey Lin.. he is cursed until further notice that’s from “ The BasedGod “ – Lil B
— Lil B THE BASEDGOD (@LILBTHEBASEDGOD) October 6, 2017
In an interview with Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated, however, the 39-year-old clarified that what he said on Instagram about Lin's hair was meant to be a joke.
“This was never meant to be racial. It was thought of as what would've been done in our locker room. It would've been jokes. We would've been making jokes,” Martin explained.
“It's far from racist. I guess saying “Wanting to be black” made it racial. But I despise people that look down because of race. It was meant to be a “Ha Ha Ha” moment. If you watch, I was laughing in the statements. It got taken too far. I wanted to clear the air.”
The former first overall pick said he already deleted his post and added that the Brooklyn Nets point guard is free to sport whatever hairstyle he wants.
“He has the right to rock any hairstyle he wants. It got out of control. It wasn't meant to be anything more than banter. Jeremy is an athlete and I would hope he understood that this was in fun and not to offend and as long as he's not offended that's all that matters. I wish him well,” Martin furthered.
Lin has already responded to Martin's stance, wherein he reacted positively and emphasized that having dreadlocks is a sign of respect to black culture – much like Martin's tattoos with Chinese characters.
Whether this exchange between the two athletes will continue or not remains to be seen, but it's certainly interesting what Lin has to say next.
