Jeremy Lin on COVID-19 Relief Donations: This Is a Critical Juncture in History

Jeremy Lin, who has donated nearly $1 million to coronavirus relief, said he felt a call to action as people in China, where he plays, and worldwide suffered from the global pandemic. 

"Dude, I've got to do something. I wouldn't be OK with myself if I didn't do anything," Lin said to himself, according to Michael Lee of The Athletic. "This is a critical juncture in history and if I don't step up today, or if I don't do certain things to help, then I don't think that my faith is real.

"I don't think my brand is real. I don't think what I talk about is real. So, for me, a lot of what I believe in is authenticity. And I've made so many mistakes and had my fair share, but at the end of the day, I do my best to get back up and be authentic and to practice what I preach. Yeah, this is one of those situations where you can put your money where your mouth is, or you should stop talking. And so, that's kind of where I'm at.”

Lin donated $500,000 to Direct Relief and Feeding America and pledged to match up to $500,000 more in outside donations. There has been more than $137,000 in matching funds raised. In addition, Lin also donated $142,000 to assist the people of Wuhan, China, where the first cases of the coronavirus were discovered. 

Lin signed with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association last year. His first season in China was postponed in February because of the coronavirus. There are no plans to bring games back until at least July.

"I'm not thinking too far into the future," Lin said. "I'm just one day at a time, focusing on today, and that's really the only way any of us can get through this situation. It's like, we just need to focus on what we can do today. If I think about it in the long run, it's like, 'I got in shape, what is that for? And all of this stuff. Will I ever have a chance to use it?' I've been here before. It's kind of like the lockout situation (in 2011), right? No one knew what was going to happen. No one knew if there was going to be a season, but it was just, 'Stay ready and just focus on today.'"

Lin said he returned to China last month as the CBA initially planned on coming back in April. He said there is some semblance of "normalcy" beginning in the country, with restaurants and other establishments opening and people wearing masks.