Jeremy Lin
Who was Jeremy Lin?
Jeremy Lin became the first Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA and sparked the global phenomenon "Linsanity" during his breakout 2012 season with the New York Knicks. He was also the first American of Taiwanese descent to win an NBA championship, with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Jeremy Lin (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (Chinese: 林書豪; born August 23, 1988, in Torrance, California) is a Taiwanese-American former professional basketball player. He was the first person of Chinese or Taiwanese descent born in the United States to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by a Taiwanese-American family, Lin always loved basketball, which eventually took him to the NBA, even though many doubted his abilities during his youth and college years.
Lin went to Palo Alto High School, where he earned honors as a senior but didn't get any athletic scholarship offers from major colleges. He attended Harvard University, where he was a three-time all-conference selection in the Ivy League. Despite his success in college, Lin was not selected in the 2010 NBA Draft. He signed with the Golden State Warriors as an undrafted free agent. He played little in his rookie season, spent time in the NBA Development League, and was eventually waived by both the Warriors and the Houston Rockets. He later joined the New York Knicks early in the 2011–12 season.
Lin's start with the Knicks was quiet, with limited playing time and more development league assignments. However, in February 2012, he was put into the starting lineup and led the Knicks to an amazing seven-game winning streak. His scoring, playmaking, and leadership excited fans worldwide, creating a cultural moment known as 'Linsanity.' Lin appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time magazine, made the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people, and won the ESPY Award for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year in July 2012. His efforts helped the Knicks reach the 2012 playoffs.
After his breakout season, Lin signed with the Houston Rockets and later played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors. He had effective periods in Houston and Charlotte, but injuries affected the later part of his career. In 2019, while playing a reserve role for the Toronto Raptors, Lin became the first Asian-American player to win an NBA championship when the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Even with limited playing time due to injury, his championship win meant a lot to Asian-American communities and sports fans across Asia.
Before Fame
Jeremy Lin grew up in Palo Alto, California, with parents from Taiwan who encouraged both academic focus and a love for basketball. His father, Gie-Ming Lin, got him and his brothers into the sport early on, and they often played together at the YMCA. Lin improved his skills through years of hard work, but even after leading his high school team to a California state championship in 2006, major college programs didn't pay him much attention. This was largely because of his Asian-American background and his low profile in recruiting.
Without any Division I scholarship offers, Lin went to Harvard University, where he juggled tough academics with a busy basketball schedule. He became one of the best players in Ivy League history, but NBA scouts remained doubtful. He wasn't picked in the 2010 draft, a decision that highlighted the systemic biases he faced in his sports journey. Despite repeated setbacks, his determination paved his way to the NBA, making his later success even more noteworthy.
Key Achievements
- First person of Chinese or Taiwanese descent born in the United States to play in the NBA
- Sparked the global cultural phenomenon known as 'Linsanity' with the New York Knicks in February 2012
- Named to the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people in 2012
- Won the ESPY Award for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year in 2012
- First Asian-American player to win an NBA championship, with the Toronto Raptors in 2019
Did You Know?
- 01.Lin was sleeping on his Knicks teammate Landry Fields's couch in New York City in the days just before his February 2012 breakout, as he had not yet secured permanent housing and was nearly cut from the team.
- 02.He scored 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers during the Linsanity stretch, outscoring Kobe Bryant in a nationally televised game that drew enormous international attention.
- 03.Lin majored in economics at Harvard University and graduated with honors in 2010, the same year he entered the NBA.
- 04.Despite winning the 2019 NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors, Lin did not meet the minimum games-played threshold required to receive an official championship ring from the team, though the Raptors organization later indicated they would honor him.
- 05.Lin is a devout Christian and has frequently spoken publicly about his faith as a central part of his identity and how it shaped his response to both failure and sudden celebrity.