For nearly a decade, a controversial comment lingered between Kenyon Martin and Jeremy Lin. At this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend, that tension finally gave way to something few expected: a public burying of the hatchet.

Amid the usual glitz and celebrity cameos, an unexpected reunion stole the spotlight. Martin and Lin were spotted laughing, shaking hands, and posing for photos together – images that quickly made the rounds online. For anyone familiar with their history, the scene felt almost surreal.

Nearly nine years ago, Martin drew criticism for mocking Lin’s dreadlocks in a since-deleted social media post, a comment many fans viewed as tone-deaf given Lin’s experiences with stereotyping and racial scrutiny during the height of “Linsanity.”

“Do I need to remind this damn boy that his last name Lin?” Martin had said back then. “There is no way possible that he would have made it on one of our teams with that bulls— goin’ on on his head… somebody need to tell him, like, ‘All right bro, we get it. You wanna be black.'” The exchange sparked debate at the time, with Lin responding thoughtfully and turning the moment into a broader conversation about cultural expression.

Lin‘s response shifted the tone. In the video’s comments, the guard graciously acknowledged Martin’s perspective while also pointing out an irony: Martin has Chinese characters tattooed on his arm. Lin wrote that he appreciated Martin’s tattoos just as much as he appreciated having dreadlocks, and called for a broader sense of cultural appreciation. His response was widely praised for its maturity.

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Afterward, Martin deleted his original post, clarified that his comments were meant as jokes, and admitted his wording was poor. Lin later confirmed that Martin had privately reached out to him and was “extremely apologetic.”

That’s why this All-Star interaction carried weight. This wasn’t just two former players exchanging pleasantries – it was visible closure. No tension. No awkwardness. Just two veterans sharing a genuine moment and, in the process, quietly squashing a long-standing beef that once dominated headlines.

From Cultural Debate to Closure at All-Star Weekend for Jeremy Lin and Kenyon Martin

In Kenyon Martin’s second video, he made it clear that he wasn’t talking about race, saying:

“That man grown, that man can rock whatever hairstyle he want to rock… That don’t mean I have to like it or agree with it.”

Jeremy Lin addressed the incident directly in an essay he wrote for the Players’ Tribune, communicating that he hoped to continue the conversation about cultural differences in sports. He called for greater empathy and compassion, while also acknowledging that he might “not have gotten it right with my idea to get dreads.”

Afterwards, he also called out members of his fanbase who harassed Martin with racially insensitive comments, adding that minorities like the groups that he and the ex-Nuggets forward belonged to needed to be unified, instead of framing the conversation as the two former Nets players being pitted together.

“I think if I can share a little bit of my side, then the next time he might have a different viewpoint,” Lin told the media back then. “He might have a different viewpoint in a week, but not if my whole fanbase comes behind and calling him — I didn’t’ see it — but I heard people were saying the ‘n’ word on his page. That’s not what I stand for.”

Now, things between the two are finally resolved.

Like the Lin-Martin spat over hairstyle and culture – resolved when Martin personally apologized – high-profile athlete beefs often cool over time. Kobe Bryant and Shaq’s bitter split echoed this pattern: intense rivalry gave way to reconciliation, proving such conflicts are common in sports and rarely permanent.