Hornets’ Jeremy Lin says NBA security still asks him for ID

Hornets guard Jeremy Lin says he is still asked for identification around the league by those who don’t know he actually plays.

Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin says security guards around the NBA still ask him for identification when he’s in arenas, not realizing he is an NBA player.

Lin made the comments to ESPN’s Mike Wallace.

“It's one of those things where it literally happens everywhere,” Lin told ESPN. “At opposing arenas, it happens all the time. Just the other night in Brooklyn, I was trying to leave [Barclays Center] and one of the ladies was like, 'Hey, I need your credentials for you to pass.' And then someone else was like, 'Oh, he's a player. He's good.' I'm used to it by now. It's just part of being Asian in the NBA.”

Lin, 27, is the first player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Lin’s career began with the Golden State Warriors in 2010. He then burst into the consciousness of NBA fans around the world with the New York Knicks during the 2011–12 season, when a prolonged stretch of success began the “Linsanity” craze.

• NADKARNI: How LeBron and Melo’s dream team could happen (but won’t)

Since his stint with the Knicks, Lin has played for the Rockets, Lakers and Hornets. He is averaging 11.7 points, 2.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for Charlotte so far this season.

The Hornets entered Saturday in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.