Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin believed that his Asian-American ethnicity has played a big role as to why many people perceived him as soft and laid back, the former Harvard standout said in a recent interview with ESPN the Magazine.

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Lin, who is playing in his fourth year in the league after winding up undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft, didn't back down from saying that the reputation of Asian-Americans as model minority has something to do with his status as one of the most polarizing players in the NBA.

The first player of Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, the 26-year old Lin stressed Asian-Americans are usually the ones getting most of the jokes than other races, but this particular stereotype has often made them subjects of abuse in the community.  

 "There's this whole thing where it's OK to make fun of certain guys more than it is other guys," Lin told Pablo S. Torre of ESPN. "And Asians are very easy to make fun of. We're the model minority. So everyone can joke about Asians: They're nice people, respectful people; they won't do anything."

Shipped by the Rockets to Los Angeles last offseason, Lin served as the Lakers' starting point guard for the first 20 games of the season until head coach Byron Scott pulled him out of the starting lineup, citing inconsistency and struggle to run the Princeton-based offense. Scott, known for his scrappy, old-school attitude, also stressed that Lin wasn't showing the level of toughness he demanded from all his point guards.

With his free-agency stock taking a significant dip, Lin came out from the All-Star break with a man on a mission as he put up a string of big games to impress not only some of the Lakers fans, but Scott as well. He then secured another shot at starting again for the final 14 games of the season, but an upper respiratory infection hampered his momentum.

Lin will become an unrestricted free-agent this season, allowing him to sign elsewhere. While the Lakers aren't ruling out the possibility of keeping the Asian-American star, the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia are already being mentioned as potential suitors for Lin this summer.

TagsLos Angeles Lakers, Lakers rumors, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy lin free-agency update, Jeremy Lin rumors, NBA free-agency 2015