Why did Kenyon Martin Sr. apologize to Jeremy Lin in 2017? All you need to know

As one of the most influential players in the modern NBA, Jeremy Lin's path to the league hasn't been easy. Even after making it, he wasn't given the right amount of respect, and his interaction with Kenyon Martin back in 2017 is proof of it.

In the 2017-18 season, Jeremy Lin was part of the young Brooklyn Nets squad. He was part of a young backcourt that featured young stars like D'Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, and Spencer Dinwiddie. The team wasn't that good and they spent the majority of their season developing the young stars.

Lin, who had been rocking different kinds of hairstyles back when he was with the Charlotte Hornets, drew the attention of the media. Ahead of the new season, he debuted a new and interesting hairstyle, rocking his dreadlocks.

Former NBA player Kenyon Martin took his frustration out on social media. Martin accused Lin of "trying to be black."

"Do I need to remind this boy his last name Lin?" Martin said.

"'You wanna be black.' Like, we get it. But you last name is Lin."

Surprisingly, Lin responded with prefessionalism and didn't allow the incident to escalate.

"It's all good you don't have to like my hair and definitely entitled to your opinion."

"Thanks for everything you did for the nets and hoops...had your poster up on my wall growing up."

While Lin handled it in a prefessional manner, he did point out that Martin had Chinese tattoos on his arm. It was ironic for him to call Lin out in that particular situation. Martin has since reached out to the young hooper and apologized for his words.

"I reached out to Jeremy, haven't heard back from him," Martin said.

"Is it still funny that he had dreadlocks? Yes."

Jeremy Lin followed up by confirming that both of them had a chance to talk. In a postgame interview with reports after the Nets' preseason win against the New York Knicks, Lin said:

"But he reached out and was extremely apologetic... it was a great conversation," Lin said.

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What made Jeremy Lin special?

Atlanta Hawks v New York Knicks

During the 2011-12 season, Jeremy Lin was just a hopeful hooper for the New York Knicks' roster. At the time, the team was short on talent with long-term injuries to their point guards. Both Iman Shumpert and Baron Davis were out of the rotation and the Knicks needed a guard.

This became the perfect opportunity for Lin to play in the NBA. As the Knicks were out of options, the team assigned him to be their new guard. Three weeks later, Lin became a phenom for the Knicks and led the team to a 10-3 record with his incredible style of play.

Thanks to head coach Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced system, Jeremy Lin was able to take his game to a different level and cement himself as one of the best breakout stars.