Jeremy Lin on Atlanta spa shootings: 'I worry I encourage hate by speaking out'

• Lin blames rhetoric of Trump administration for rise in anger
• NBA vet said he experienced racist act during G League game

Jeremy Lin spoke out on Wednesday against the rise in targeted attacks against Asian-Americans in the wake of shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors that left eight people dead, the majority of them women of Asian descent, leading to fears the killer had a racial motive.

Lin, who plays for the Golden State Warriors’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, was speaking in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night. The 32-year-old point guard made headlines in February after revealing that he was called “coronavirus” on the court without saying when or where it happened.

Related: NBA opens probe after Jeremy Lin says he was called 'coronavirus' during game