Early life
Lin was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in a Christian family in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Palo Alto.[3][4][note 1] His parents, Gie-Ming and Shirley, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s.[7][8] They are dual nationals of both Taiwan and the U.S.[9] Lin's paternal family comes from Beidou, Changhua in Taiwan (his father's distant ancestors immigrated to Taiwan from Zhangpu County, Fujian, in mainland China, in 1707),[9][10][11] while his maternal grandmother immigrated to Southern Taiwan in the late 1940s from Pinghu, Zhejiang in mainland China.[9][12][13]
Lin's parents are both 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) tall.[14] His maternal grandmother's family was tall, and her father was over 6 feet (1.8 m).[13] Lin has an older brother, Josh, and a younger brother, Joseph.[8] Gie-Ming taught his sons to play basketball at the local YMCA.[15]
High school career
In his senior year in 2005–2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei, 51–47, for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II state title.[16][17] He was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year, ending his senior year averaging 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 steals.[16]
College career
Recruiting process
Lin sent his résumé and a DVD of highlights of his high school basketball career to all the Ivy League schools, University of California, Berkeley, and his dream schools Stanford and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[18][19][7] The Pac-10 schools wanted him to walk-on, rather than be actively recruited or offered a sports scholarship. Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.[20] Rex Walters, University of San Francisco men's basketball coach and a retired NBA player, said NCAA limits on coaches' recruiting visits had an impact on Lin's chances. "Most colleges start recruiting a guy in the first five minutes they see him because he runs really fast, jumps really high, does the quick, easy thing to evaluate," Walters said. Lin added, "I just think in order for someone to understand my game, they have to watch me more than once, because I’m not going to do anything that’s extra flashy or freakishly athletic."[21]
In July 2005, then-Harvard assistant coach Bill Holden saw that Lin was 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), which fit the physical attributes he was seeking, and he had a 4.2 grade point average in high school, which fit Harvard's academic standards. However, Holden was not initially impressed with Lin's on-court abilities, and told Lin's high school basketball coach, Peter Diepenbrock, that Lin was a "Division III player". Later that week, Holden saw Lin playing in a much more competitive game, driving to the basket at every opportunity with the "instincts of a killer". Lin became a top-priority for Holden.[22] Harvard coaches feared that Stanford, close to Lin's home,[note 2] would offer Lin a scholarship, but it did not, and Lin chose to attend Harvard.[23] "I wasn't sitting there saying all these Division I coaches were knuckleheads," Diepenbrock said. "There were legitimate questions about Jeremy."[24] Joe Lacob, incoming Warriors' owner and Stanford booster, said Stanford's failure to recruit Lin "was really stupid. The kid was right across the street. [If] you can't recognize that, you've got a problem."[25] Kerry Keating, the UCLA assistant who offered Lin the opportunity to walk-on, said in hindsight that Lin would probably have ended up starting atpoint guard for UCLA.[26]
Harvard
In his sophomore season (2007–08), Lin averaged 12.6 points and was named All-Ivy League Second Team.[16] By his junior year during the 2008–09 season, he was the onlyNCAA Division I men's basketball player who ranked in the top ten in his conference for scoring (17.8), rebounding (5.5), assists (4.3), steals (2.4), blocked shots (0.6), field goal percentage (0.502), free throw percentage (0.744), and three-point shot percentage (0.400),[15] and was a consensus selection for All-Ivy League First Team. He had 27 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in an 82–70 win over 17th-ranked Boston College, three days after the Eagles had knocked off No. 1 North Carolina.[16][27]
In his senior year (2009–10), Lin averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks, and was again a unanimous selection for All-Ivy League First Team. He was one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award[28] and one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.[29] He was also invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.[30] Fran Fraschilla of ESPN picked Lin among the 12 most versatile players in college basketball.[27] He gained national attention for his performance against the 12th ranked Connecticut Huskies, against whom he scored a career-high tying 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds on the road.[31] After the game, Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said of Lin: "I've seen a lot of teams come through here, and he could play for any of them. He's got great, great composure on the court. He knows how to play."[15]
For the season, Harvard set numerous program records including wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11) and road/neutral wins (10).[32] Lin finished his career as the first player in the history of the Ivy League to record at least 1,450 points (1,483), 450 rebounds (487), 400 assists (406) and 200 steals (225).[16] He graduated from Harvard in 2010 with a degree in economics and a 3.1 grade-point average.[33]
Professional career
Undrafted
If drafted, Lin would have been the first Ivy League player selected by the NBA since Jerome Allen of Penn in the second round in 1995.[34] The last Ivy League player to play in the NBA was Yale's Chris Dudley in 2003, while the last Harvard player in the league was Ed Smith in 1954.[7] After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. Eight teams had invited Lin to predraft workouts. Diepenbrock said that NBA tryouts do not play five on five. Lin acknowledged that the workouts were "one on one or two on two or three on three, and that’s not where I excel. I've never played basketball like that."[21] He later joined the Dallas Mavericks for mini-camp as well as their NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.[35] Donnie Nelson of the Mavericks was the only General Manager that offered him an invitation to play in the Summer League. "Donnie took care of me," said Lin. "He has a different type of vision than most people do."[20]
In five Summer League games, while playing both guard positions, Lin averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 18.6 minutes per game and shot a team leading 54.5% from the floor.[36][37] Lin turned heads in his matchup against first overall pick John Wall when Lin scored 13 points to Wall's 21, but did so on 6-for-12 shooting in 28 minutes. Wall was 4-for-19 in 33 minutes.[38]While Wall received the biggest cheer for any player during introductions, the crowd turned on Wall and was cheering for Lin by the end of the game.[39] Lin received offers to sign from the Mavericks,Los Angeles Lakers, and an unnamed Eastern Conference team. In addition to the original three teams, the Golden State Warriors also offered Lin a contract.[40]
Golden State Warriors (2010–2011)
On July 21, 2010, Lin signed a two-year deal with his hometown Warriors, his favorite team growing up. Lin's deal was partially guaranteed for 2010–11, and the Warriors held a team option for the second season.[41] The reports noted that the deal would include a first-year salary of close to $500,000 with more than half of it guaranteed.[42] Lin said the counteroffers from the three other teams were higher, but he wanted to play for the Warriors.[43] Lin also signed a three-year guaranteed contract with Nike.[44] His jersey was already on sale before his first NBA game.[45]
The San Jose Mercury News wrote that Lin "had something of a cult following" after his signing.[46] The San Francisco Bay Area, with its large Asian-Americanpopulation, celebrated his arrival.[2] He became the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA.[2][47][48] Lin received the loudest ovation of the night from the crowd of 10,004 in the Warriors' home exhibition opener at Oracle Arena when he entered the game in the fourth quarter.[49] The crowd had started chanting for him in the third quarter and cheered whenever he touched the ball. "That really touched me. It's something I'll remember forever," Lin said. He ended up with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes.[50] Lin drew the crowd's attention on the road as well. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com attributed the attention Lin received out of town to the unique angle of "an Asian-American rising to rare basketball prominence".[4]
Lin noticed the expectations that followed him and warned, "I won't be an All-Star this year."[51] He was appreciative of the support, especially from the Asian-American community, but he also preferred concentrating on his play without all the attention when he had not "proven anything to anybody."[4] Frank Hughes ofSports Illustrated wrote that Lin talked with the occasional "seeds of self-doubt", which he said was not common to hear in the NBA. Hughes also found it rare when Lin compared himself to the Phoenix Suns' backup point guard Goran Dragić.[52] "Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we're both effective and know how to play the game," Lin said.[53]
Lin and Stephen Curry, 2009–10 runner-up Rookie of the Year, received more interview requests than any other Warrior. Team officials regularly denied requests for Lin to help him keep his focus. He was approached to be the subject of documentaries.[4] Warriors coach Keith Smart planned to take pressure off Lin since Lin has a tendency to be hard on himself and get frustrated.[51] Smart admitted that he succumbed to the home crowd's wishes and put Lin into a game in the wrong situation. He vowed not to repeat that mistake.[4]
Lin made the Warriors' opening day roster for the 2010–11 regular season, but he was placed on the inactive list. Lin was disappointed but realized that "part of being on this team is putting your ego aside."[54] Lin received little playing time during the season with two dominant ball-handling guards, Curry and Monta Ellis, starring for the Warriors.[55] He initially competed with Charlie Bell and Reggie Williams, and later Acie Law, for playing time at backup point guard.[56][57] Lin made his NBA debut the next game against the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Asian Heritage Night for the Warriors' home game, and Lin received a standing ovation from the crowd of 17,408 when he entered the game with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.[58] He did not score in the 109–91 win but recorded one steal after tying up the ball and winning the subsequent jump ball.[59] In the next game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lin scored his first NBA basket, had three assists, and recorded four steals. He was applauded by the road crowd at Staples Center when he entered the game in the third quarter. He played 11 of his 16 minutes in the third quarter and committed five fouls but played a role in a 12–1 run by the Warriors.[60][61] "[Lin] came in and did a good job, gave us a good tempo," Smart said after the 107–83 loss to the defending NBA champions. Lakers' guard Derek Fisher praised him for his energy and aggressiveness.[62]
Similar to the exhibition home opener, Oracle Arena fans continued to root for Lin to play in the end of games and cheered every time he touched the ball. "When I'm on the road, I don't feel like the spotlight is on me," Lin admitted. Smart noted that Lin looked more relaxed on the road. "There's a lot of pressure on him at home, with all of the applause for just checking into the game, so I'm sure that cranks his nerves up a little bit," said Curry. "You can tell on the road he plays a lot better, because he can just go out there, play and have fun."[63] At Toronto on November 8, the Raptors held Asian Heritage Night to coincide with Lin's visit with the Warriors. Over 20 members of Toronto's Chinese media covered the game.[64] Lin played 15 minutes, most coming in the first half, and finished with three points, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the 109–102 Warriors' win.[65] In the following game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Lin again entered the game in the first half. According to ESPN.com NBA editor Matt Wong, "Lin checked into the game to loud applause, presumably from the many Asian-Americans in attendance."[66] He had scored seven total points in his first six games played during the year.[67] In a 89–117 road loss to the Lakers, Lin scored a (then) career-high 13 points in 18 minutes and again earned big cheers from fans in Los Angeles.[68]
Three times during the season, Lin was assigned to the Warriors' D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns.[69][70][71] Each time, he was later recalled by the Warriors.[72][73][74] He competed in the NBA D-League Showcase and was named to the All-NBA D-League Showcase First Team on January 14, 2011. He helped lead the Bighorns to a 2–0 record at the Showcase with averages of 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals.[75] Lin posted a season-high 27 points with the Bighorns on March 18.[76] He averaged 18 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists with Reno.[77] Lin had some misgivings when sent to the D-League because he felt he was being demoted and was not good enough to play in the NBA. After playing in the D-League, he realized he was still learning and putting in work and getting playing time in the D-League, which he would not have received at the time with the Warriors.[78][79] Lin credited Bighorns coach Eric Musselman with "helping him regain [his] swagger."[80] Lacob said the Warriors received more than one trade offer for Lin while he was in the D-League, but he was happy with Lin's progress as an undrafted free agent. "He's a minimum, inexpensive asset. You need to look at him as a developing asset. Is he going to be a superstar? No."[81] He finished his rookie NBA season averaging 2.6 points on 38.9 percent shooting in 29 games.[77]
2011 offseason
Lin recovered from an injury to his left knee during the 2011 NBA lockout.[82] In September 2011, Lin played a few games for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) club Dongguan Leopards at theABA Club Championship in Guangzhou, China, where he was named the MVP of the tournament.[83] Around that time, Shanghai Sharks president and former NBA star Yao Ming also tried, unsuccessfully, to sign Lin for the upcoming CBA season;[84] Lin explained[85] that as someone still under contract with the Golden State Warriors, he could not play in the CBA as the league would only admit NBA free agents.[86] A few days before the lockout was lifted on November 26, Lin had been close to signing with an undisclosed club in Italy.[87]
Lin worked to improve his jump shot during the offseason. Due to the 2011 NBA lockout, he never got a chance to workout for new Warriors coach Mark Jackson.[88] On December 9, 2011, the Warriorswaived Lin on the first day of training camp. He was a favorite of Lacob,[89][90] but the Warriors were freeing up salary cap space to make an offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan;[91][92]Lin was due to make nearly $800,000 that would have become fully guaranteed on February 10, 2012.[2][93] The San Francisco Chronicle said Lin would have had trouble beating out rookie guardCharles Jenkins.[94]
On December 12, 2011, Lin was claimed off waivers by the Houston Rockets.[95] He played seven minutes in two preseason games with the Rockets, who already had Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragić andJonny Flynn as point guards with guaranteed contracts.[96][97] On December 24, before the start of the season, the Rockets waived Lin to clear payroll to sign center Samuel Dalembert.[55][98]
New York Knicks (2011–present)
The New York Knicks claimed Lin off waivers on December 27 to be a backup behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby after an injury to guard Iman Shumpert; recently-signed guard Baron Davis was also injured and weeks away from playing.[55][92][99] Lin becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.[100] Lin said he was "competing for a backup spot, and people see me as the 12th to 15th guy on the roster. It's a numbers game."[46] As the Knicks' third-string point guard, he made his season debut on the road against the Warriors, where he was warmly cheered in his return to Oracle Arena.[101] On January 17, 2012, Lin was assigned to the Erie BayHawks of the D-League.[102] On January 20, he had a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in the BayHawks' 122–113 victory over the Maine Red Claws.[103] Lin was recalled by the Knicks three days later.[104]
On January 28, Davis suffered a setback that postponed his Knicks debut.[105][100] Then New York considered releasing Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10 so they could sign a new player. However, after the Knicks squandered a fourth quarter lead in a February 3 loss to the Boston Celtics, coach Mike D'Antoni decided to give Lin a chance to play. "He got lucky because we were playing so bad," said D'Antoni.[105] Lin had played only 55 minutes through the Knicks' first 23 games, but he would unexpectedly lead a turnaround of an 8–15 team that had lost 11 of its last 13 games.[106][107][108]
"Players playing that well don't usually come out of nowhere. It seems like they come out of nowhere, but if you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning. It probably just went unnoticed."
—Kobe Bryant, after Lin scored 38 points on February 10, 2012.[109]
On February 4, Lin outplayed All-Star guard Deron Williams and had 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assists—all career-highs—in a 99–92 Knicks victory over the New Jersey Nets. Teammate Carmelo Anthony suggested to coach Mike D'Antoni at halftime that Lin should play more in the second half. After the game, D'Antoni said Lin has a point-guard mentality and "a rhyme and a reason for what he is doing out there."[110][111][112] In the subsequent game against the Utah Jazz, Lin made his first career start playing without stars Anthony, who left the game due to injury, and Amar'e Stoudemire, whose older brother had died. Lin had 28 points and eight assists in the Knicks' 99–88 win.[113][114] Stoudemire and Anthony missed the next three and seven games, respectively.[112][114] In a 107–93 win over the Washington Wizards, Lin played against John Wall and had 23 points and 10 assists, his first double-double.[115] On February 10, Lin scored a new career-high 38 points and had seven assists, leading the Knicks in their 92–85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He outscored the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who had 34 points.[116][117][118] On February 11, Lin scored 20 points and had 8 assists in a narrow 100–98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[119] Lin scored 89, 109, and 136 points in his first three, four, and five career starts, respectively, all three of which are the most by any player since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA in 1976–77.[119][120][121] Lin was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals in those four starts with the Knicks going undefeated.[122]
On February 14, with less than a second remaining, Lin scored a game-winning three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors.[114] The basket so amazed the Lakers, watching on TV, that veteran playerMetta World Peace ran by reporters shouting "Linsanity! Linsanity!" and waving his hands above his head.[123][124] Lin became the first NBA player to score at least 20 points and have seven assists in each of his first five starts.[125] In the following game against the Sacramento Kings, Lin recorded a career-high 13 assists and led the Knicks back to .500.[126] New York had a 7–0 record after Lin started receiving major playing time, 6–0 with him starting.[127] The winning streak ended in an 89–85 loss to the New Orleans Hornets; Lin scored 26 points but had nine turnovers. His 45 turnovers in his first seven career starts were the most since individual turnovers began being tracked in 1977–78.[128] On February 19 in a 104–97 win against the Dallas Mavericks, Lin scored 28 points and tallied career highs with 14 assists and five steals.[129][130]
 External images | |
|---|---|
 | Lin on February 20, 2012 cover ofSports Illustrated |
| Lin on February 27, 2012 cover ofTime |
The Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA".[131] Bloomberg News wrote that Lin "has already become the most famous [Asian American NBA player]". Knicks fans developed nicknames for him along with a new lexicon inspired by his name, Lin.[132][133] Time.com ran an article titled, "It's Official: Linsanity Is for Real".[134] Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson said, "The excitement [Lin] has caused in [Madison Square] Garden, man, I hadn't seen that in a long time."[135] He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "Against All Odds", which The New York Times called, "the greatest tribute".[136] He also made the cover of Time in Asia; Forbes wrote, "Congratulations Jeremy. You have now made the cover of Time the same number of times asMichael Jordan. Linsanity reigns on."[137] Lin's story was also on the front-page of many Taipei newspapers.[138] On February 16, Lin was invited to participate during NBA All-Star Weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge and in the Slam Dunk Contest as the passer for the Knicks' rookie Shumpert.[139][140] He was originally omitted from the Rising Stars roster, but was added after his sudden rise to stardom.[141] Some media outlets—including USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and CBSSports.com—stated that he deserved to play in the All-Star Game.[142][143][144]
The Knicks scrambled to start selling replicas of Lin's No. 17 jerseys and t-shirts, and the sales and traffic for their online store increased more than 3,000%.[145] The team's success due to Lin's play reportedly contributed to the end of a dispute which had for 48 days prevented Time Warner Cable customers from watching Knicks games and other MSG Network programs.[146] His popularity was attributed with growing the NBA in China since Yao Ming's retirement in the offseason. The audience for NBA games on television and online in China rose 39 percent over the previous season.[147] Lin credited his success to playing without pressure. "I've surrendered that to God. I'm not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore," said Lin.[111]
Career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Harvard | 28 | 0 | 18.1 | .415 | .281 | .818 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 4.8 |
| 2007–08 | Harvard | 30 | 30 | 31.3 | .448 | .279 | .621 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 12.6 |
| 2008–09 | Harvard | 28 | 28 | 34.8 | .502 | .400 | .744 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 17.8 |
| 2009–10 | Harvard | 29 | 29 | 32.2 | .519 | .341 | .755 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 16.4 |
| Career | 115 | 87 | 29.2 | .481 | .333 | .733 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.0 | .6 | 12.9 | |
NBA
- Regular season
- Accurate as of February 20, 2012
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Golden State | 29 | 0 | 9.8 | .389 | .200 | .760 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .3 | 2.6 |
| 2011–12 | New York | 19 | 9 | 23.1 | .487 | .343 | .742 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 1.4 | .2 | 14.6 |
| Career | 48 | 9 | 15.1 | .461 | .325 | .746 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 1.2 | .2 | 7.4 | |
International career
In addition to being a U.S. citizen, Lin is also by descent through his parents a national of the Republic of China (Taiwan); Lin could apply for a Republic of China passport although there is no record of his having done so.[148][149] Lin has been invited to play for the Chinese Taipei men's national basketball team in FIBA competitions. On July 28, 2010 while in Taipei to play in Yao Ming's charity game, Lin said he had not made a decision yet on whether he would represent Chinese Taipei (the name used by Taiwan in international sporting competitions).[78][150][151] In June 2011, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) included Lin in its preliminary squad of 24 players for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.[152] The next month, however, the CTBA announced that Lin would not be included on their roster due to a knee injury.[153]
Taiwanese media reported that Lin declined an offer from the People's Republic of China to play in the same tournament;[82] however, the Chinese Basketball Management Center denied having ever approached him.[154]
Racial issues
Sean Gregory of Time wrote of Lin's zero Division I scholarship offers: "[Lin] was scrawny, but don't doubt that a little racial profiling, intentional or otherwise, contributed to his underrecruitment."[155] Diepenbrock stated, "If [Lin] was African American or Caucasian, it might have been a different deal."[156] Lin said: "I'm not saying top-5 state automatically gets you offers, but I do think (my ethnicity) did affect the way coaches recruited me. I think if I were a different race, I would've been treated differently."[157] Walters added, "People who don't think stereotypes exist are crazy. If [Lin's] white, he's either a good shooter or heady. If he's Asian, he's good at math. We're not taking him."[158]
Diepenbrock said that people without meaning any harm assume since Lin is Asian that he is not a basketball player. The first time Lin went to a Pro-Am game in Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco someone there informed him: "Sorry, sir, there's no volleyball here tonight. It's basketball."[159] During Lin's college career, fewer than 0.5% of men's Division 1 basketball players were Asian-American.[155][157] Lin has regularly heard bigoted jeers at games such as "Wonton soup", "Sweet and sour pork", "Open your eyes!", "Go back to China", "Orchestra is on the other side of campus", or pseudo-Chinese gibberish.[7][155][157] Lin says this occurred at most if not all Ivy League gyms. He does not react to it. "I expect it, I'm used to it, it is what it is," says Lin.[155]The heckling came mostly from opposing fans and not as much from players.[160] According to Harvard teammate Oliver McNally, a fellow Ivy League player once called Lin the ethnic slur chink.[155] In January 2010, Harvard played against Santa Clara University at the Leavey Center, just 15 miles from his hometown of Palo Alto, California. Playing to a capacity crowd that included droves of Asian Americans wanting to see his homecoming, his teammates told him, "It was like Hong Kong."[161]
Lin considers himself a basketball player more than just an Asian American. He understands that there have not been many Asians in the NBA. "Maybe I can help break the stereotype," said Lin.[162]"I feel like Asians in general don't get the respect that we may deserve whether it comes to sports, basketball, or whatever it might be."[163] Several other Americans of Asian descent had played in the NBA prior to the 2010–11 NBA season, including Wataru Misaka, Raymond Townsend, Corey Gaines, Rex Walters, and Robert Swift.[40][164][165] "[Lin's] carrying the hopes of an entire continent. I only had to carry the hopes of Little Rock, Arkansas. He's accomplished a lot more than I have already," said Derek Fisher, who had won five NBA championships with the Lakers, after his first game against Lin.[62] Lin is setting an example for prospective Asian athletes in America who rarely see Asian-Americans playing on their favorite teams.[166] "I don't look Japanese," Walters said, referring to his mother's ethnicity. "When they see [Lin], it's an Asian-American".[167]
Some fans and commentators wrote off his Warriors signing as a publicity stunt.[2] Larry Riley, the team's general manager, denied catering to the Bay Area’s large Asian population. He understood that some people would see it that way. "We evaluated him throughout summer league," Riley said. “All that had to happen was for him to confirm what we already believed."[21] While the team created a campaign around him, Riley said it would not have been advisable if Lin was not a basketball player first.[168]
On February 10, 2012, in the middle of Lin's career game against the Lakers, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock posted on Twitter, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight", a reference to Lin's sexual prowess.[169] Hyphen wrote that Whitlock "reinforced the insipid and insidious 'small Asian penis' stereotype."[170] The Asian American Journalists Associationdemanded an apology. "I debased a feel-good sports moment. For that, I’m truly sorry," apologized Whitlock.[171][172] Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. wrote on his Twitter page, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."[173] Mayweather once had a racist rant against Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.[174] NBCNewYork.com in response to Mayweather noted that "no one of any skin color in the history of basketball has done in their first four starts what Lin pulled off for the Knicks last week."[175] On February 15, the MSG Network during game coverage showed a fan's sign of Lin's face above a fortune cookie with the words "The Knicks Good Fortune", which some viewed as anethnic stereotype.[176] Sporting News wrote that the sign was "questionable", while CBS News called it "distasteful".[177][178] Some Knicks teammates have been criticized for bowing to Lin during games.[179][180][181] On February 17, ESPN used a racial slur on its mobile website in the headline "Chink in the Armor" after Lin had nine turnovers in New York’s loss to the Hornets. It was removed 35 minutes later, and ESPN apologized.[182] The network fired the employee who posted the headline, and suspended ESPNews anchor Max Bretos for using the same reference earlier in the week. Bretos also apologized. Knicks radio announcer Spero Dedes also used the phrase on 1050 ESPN New York, but he was an employee of Madison Square Garden and not ESPN.[183][184][185] Saturday Night Live in a cold open satirized the puns in reference to Lin's ethnicity; three commentators were featured happily making jokes about Lin's race, while a fourth draws contempt for making similar comments about black players.[183][184]
Personal life
Lin is an evangelical Christian who was a leader in Harvard's Asian American Christian Fellowship during his time there.[186][187] Lin would one day like to be a pastor who can head up non-profit organizations, either home or abroad.[52][188] He has also talked of working in inner-city communities to help with underprivileged children.[160] Lin's younger brother, Joseph, plays basketball forHamilton College.[189] Lin's older brother, Josh, is a dental student at New York University.[190]
When Lin was asked if he was fluent in Chinese, he stated that he could understand it, but could use some help speaking it.[191] In an interview conducted with NBADraft.net, Lin stated that he could only speak Mandarin, not Cantonese, and could read and write a little. He had also taken classes while attending Harvard to try to improve.[192] Lin in early 2012 slept on his brother's couch in a one-bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.[193] He relocated to his own condo in White Plains, New York, after his Knicks contract became guaranteed.[194]
Public image
Lin has a YouTube account,[195] and has made videos with YouTube personalities Nigahiga and KevJumba. In a video interview conducted by Elie Seckbach, he asked Lin how it felt to be representing so many people. Lin responded by stating, "It's humbling, a privilege, and a honor. I'm really proud of being Chinese, I'm really proud of my parents being from Taiwan. I just thank God for the opportunity."[191]
In July 2011, Vivid Magazine, a glossy magazine dedicated to overseas Chinese around the world, named Lin one of its top eight influential Chinese-Americans.[196] Lin has had the best-selling jersey in the NBA since February 4, 2012, when he played more than 30 minutes in an NBA game for the first time.[197]
In February 2012, Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart stated, “I knew [Lin] before he was Linmania. He’s still the same humble guy. The guy has not changed a bit, which is real special for a young man.”[198]
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