Charitable Jeremy Lin to hand over US$168,000 pay cheque to non-profit organisation
- For third season in a row, NBA star will donate large sum to Seattle-based non-profit One Day’s Wages
- This year it is January 26 when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Portland Trailblazers
For the third season running, NBA basketballer Jeremy Lin is donating one game’s wages to charity. The Atlanta Hawks star will hand over the US$168,000 (HK$1.3 million) he would pocket for the team’s January 26 game against the Portland Trailblazers to Seattle-based One Day’s Wages (ODW), an international non-profit that fights extreme global poverty.
Lin has supported the charity since 2016 when he spent the off-season visiting Thailand to see their work with founder Eugene Cho.
The former New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets guard has donated US$478,243 to ODW’s attempts to fight child poverty and human-trafficking.
This season he has also committed to donating US$100 for every assist he makes for the Hawks.
In 36 games so far he has made 128 assists.
The 30-year-old set up his own Jeremy Lin Foundation in 2013 and hosts an annual charity basketball game and auction in China.
“We’ve done it two years in a row. And this past year we had, I believe, 18 million people watching online,” Lin told Freakonomics Radio last year.
“I believe it’s important to raise awareness about social justice issues that have been swept under the rug,” Lin said. “As athletes, we focus so much of our attention on what we do on the court every day, but ultimately there are much more important things going on around us. Poverty disproportionately affects children in heartbreaking ways and many of us are in a position where we can try to help make that easier, even if in a small way. Every child deserves the chance to pursue their dreams. This is why I’m coming alongside One Day’s Wages, a movement to alleviate extreme global poverty, for the third year in a row.”
Lin made his NBA comeback with the Hawks in October after missing 364 days through injury. During that time he was traded by the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite a season that has Lin shortlisted for the All-Star team, the Hawks are struggling in the Eastern Conference sitting 12th in the standings.
Lin is expected to front the NBA’s annual Lunar New Year promotions next month.
