Floyd Mayweather takes swipe at Jeremy Lin
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, February 15, 2012
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Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
Unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has posted a swipe at the New York Knicks' point guard sensation Jeremy Lin on Twitter.
"Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise," Mayweather posted on Monday.
American-Chinese Lin has led the Knicks to five straight victories, including a 38-point game against the Lakers.
Mayweather rarely hesitates to air racially charged opinions, either in person or in social media. He has repeatedly insulted rival Manny Pacquiao, including an online video in 2010 in which he used racial and homophobic slurs against the Filipino congressman.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's top adviser, didn't immediately return a phone call.
Mayweather, who will fight Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas in May before starting a 90-day jail sentence for domestic abuse, said he was speaking up for other players in the NBA.
"Other countries get to support/cheer their athletes and everything is fine," the 34-year-old tweeted again. "As soon as I support black American athletes, I get criticized.
"I'm speaking my mind on behalf of other NBA players. They are programmed to be politically correct and will be penalized if they speak up."
Returning stars
Meanwhile, NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will return to the Knicks soon, but the question is no longer whether they can coexist.
Now, it's how do they fit on Lin's team. Linsanity has entered its second week, with the Knicks on a roll they feel can keep right on going behind the surprising Lin, who coach Mike D'Antoni said has given the team a "spirit" and a "swagger." "You go into every game thinking you're going to win, and it changes everybody's mood," D'Antoni said.
Lin was chosen as the Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 27.3 points and 8.3 assists in his first four starts. The Knicks have won five in a row, turning things around after an 8-15 win-loss start.
Lin sat out practice to rest, but Stoudemire was back on the floor after leaving the team a week ago after his older brother, Hazell, was killed in a car crash.
"The only positive for us during that whole week was we were watching the basketball games and we were watching Linsanity and my family was getting a kick out of it," Stoudemire said. "That's the only smiles really they had all week."
"It's more exciting than anything, just to see the buzz that he's created here in New York, here in the NBA as a whole," Anthony said. "I just want to get back there and be a part of it."
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