Jeremy Lin
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born August 23, 1988) is an American
professional basketball
player for the Golden State Warriors
of the National Basketball Association
(NBA). After receiving no athletic scholarship
offers out of high school and being undrafted out of college, the Harvard University
graduate reached a partially-guaranteed contract deal with his hometown Warriors.
Lin is the first American player in the NBA to be of Chinese
or of Taiwanese
descent.
to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei, 51–47, for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)
Division II state title. According to Dana O'Neil of ESPN
, "... Lin was the runaway choice for player of the year by virtually every California publication." 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.
, Stanford
, and his dream school, UCLA
. The Pac-10 schools wanted him to walk-on. 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. Lin chose to attend Harvard.
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. You can’t recognize that, [then] you've got a problem."
Kerry Keating
, the UCLA assistant who offered Lin the opportunity to walk-on, would say in hindsight that Lin would probably have ended up starting at point guard
for UCLA.
Rex Walters
, University of San Francisco
men's basketball coach and a retired NBA player, said NCAA limits on coaches’ recruiting visits impacted Lin. “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."
Bill Holden, Harvard assistant coach, had initially told Lin's high school coach, Peter Diepenbrock, that Harvard was not interested in Lin. "Three weeks later, he calls me and says, 'I may have spoken a little too soon,'" Diepenbrock said.
By his junior year during the 2008–09 season
, he was the only NCAA 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 3 point shot percentage (0.400), 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
.
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
and one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award
. He was also invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
. Fran Fraschilla
of ESPN picked Lin among the 12 most versatile players in college basketball. 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. After the game, Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun
said of Lin:
For the season, Harvard set numerous program records including wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11) and road/neutral wins (10).
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).
He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics
and a 3.1 grade-point average.
. The last Ivy Leaguer to play in the NBA was Yale's
Chris Dudley
in , while the last Harvard player in the league was Ed Smith
in . 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."
He later joined the Dallas Mavericks
for mini-camp as well as their NBA Summer League
team in Las Vegas. 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."
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. 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.
While Wall received the biggest cheer for any player during introductions, the crowd had turned on Wall and was cheering for Lin by the end of the game.
Lin received offers to sign from the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers
, and an unnamed Eastern Conference
team. The Golden State Warriors
would also offer Lin a contract in addition to the original three teams.
Lin also signed a three-year guaranteed contract with Nike
. His jersey was already on sale before his first NBA game.
On October 8 in the Warriors' exhibition opener at their home in Oracle Arena, the loudest ovation of the night from the crowd of 10,004 was for Lin when he entered the game with 10:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. The crowd started chanting for Lin in the third quarter. They 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. Warriors' head coach Keith Smart
said Lin drew the crowd's attention on the road as well. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com attributes the attention Lin had received out of town to the unique angle of "an Asian-American rising to rare basketball prominence".
Lin notices the expectations that follow him. "I've got news for them," Lin said with a smile, "I won't be an All-Star this year."
The attention Lin has received is tricky for him. While he would prefer to be able to just concentrate on his play without all the attention, he is appreciative of the unbelievable support he has received, especially from the Asian-American community. Lin wants to be a role model to young Asian-Americans. He has found the attention awkward as he says he has not "proven anything to anybody."
Frank Hughes of Sports Illustrated
wrote that Lin talks with the occasional "seeds of self-doubt" which is 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. “Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we’re both effective and know how to play the game,” Lin said.
Lin and Stephen Curry
, 2009–10
runner-up Rookie of the Year
and a gold medal winner in the 2010 FIBA World Championship
, get more interview requests than any other Warrior. Team officials regularly deny requests for Lin to help him keep his focus. He has been approached to be the subject of documentaries.
Smart planned to take pressure off Lin since Lin has a tendency to be hard on himself and get frustrated. 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.
Lin made the Warriors' opening day roster for the 2010–11 regular season
, but he was placed on the inactive list. While he was disappointed, Lin noted that "part of being on this team is putting your ego aside." Lin made his official NBA debut in 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. He did not score in the 109–91 win but recorded one steal after tying up the ball and winning the subsequent jump ball
.
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. "[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.
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."
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. 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. 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." He had scored seven total points in his first six games played during the year. In a 89-117 road loss to the Lakers, Lin scored a career-high 13 points in 18 minutes and again earned big cheers from fans in Los Angeles.
An April 5, 2011, article posted by Slam Online stated that during intrasquad scrimmages between Warriors players, head coach Keith Smart
implemented a rule. The rule was that no foul committed against Lin would ever be called. The idea behind this is that since Lin was rookie and a not a well-known established player, he would not get many calls from the referees. Thus Jeremy would learn how to play through it and coach Smart acknowledged that Jeremy has. In the same article, Lin credits Reno Bighorns coach Eric Musselman
with "helping him regain [his] swagger."
Three times during the season, Lin was assigned to the Warriors' D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. Each time, he was later recalled by the Warriors. 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. Lin posted a season-high 27 points with the Bighorns on March 18. 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 wouldn't have received at the time with the Warriors. 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."
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 29 || 0 || 9.8 || .389 || .200 || .760 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 2.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 29 || 0 || 9.8 || .389 || .200 || .760 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 2.6
, which is the designated name used by the Republic of China (Taiwan)
in international events, to play for their 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. In June 2011, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) included Lin in its preliminary squad of 24 players for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. The next month, however, the CTBA announced that Lin would not be included on their roster due to a knee injury. Lin was also approached by People's Republic of China to play in the same tournament, but he declined their offer.
On August 4, 2011, Lin stated that he would consider playing overseas during the 2011 NBA lockout
. He wants to be fully recovered from his injury before making a decision. In a video interview with CCTV-5
during the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, Jeremy Lin said he would be open to considering playing in the Chinese Basketball Association
and playing for the People's Republic of China but will make the decision when the time comes.
Italian teams, including Virtus Roma
, showed interest in signing Jeremy Lin during the 2011 NBA lockout
.
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." 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."
Lin's high school coach, Peter 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, his coach said, someone there informed him: "Sorry, sir, there's no volleyball here tonight. It's basketball." During Lin's college career, fewer than 0.5% of men's Division 1 basketball players were Asian-American.
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 Chinese gibberish. Lin says this occurred even 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. The heckling came mostly from fans and not as much from players. According to Harvard teammate Oliver McNally, a fellow Ivy League player did once call Lin a "chink
".
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
."
Lin considers himself a basketball player more than just an Asian American. He understands that there are not many Asians in the NBA. "Maybe I can help break the stereotype," said Lin. Asian Americans who have played in the NBA prior to the 2010–11 NBA season
include Wataru Misaka
, Raymond Townsend
, Corey Gaines
, Rex Walters
, and Robert Swift
. "[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. Lin is setting an example for prospective Asian athletes in America who rarely see Asian-Americans playing on their favorite teams. "I don't look Japanese," Walters said, referring to his mother's ethnicity. "When they see [Lin], it's an Asian-American.
Larry Riley
, the Warriors' general manager, denied that Lin’s signing was done to cater to the Bay Area
’s large Asian population. He understood that some people would look at 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." While the team was creating a campaign around him, Riley said it would not have been advisable if Lin was not a basketball player first.
. His parents, Gie-Ming and Shirley, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s. They are both 5 feet 6 inches tall. His paternal family comes from Beidou, Changhua
in Taiwan. with ancestry in Zhangpu, Fujian
; while his maternal grandmother is from Pinghu, Zhejiang in today's China
. He has an older brother, Josh, and a younger brother, Joseph, who is set to play basketball for Dickinson College
in the fall of 2010. Gie-Ming taught his sons to play basketball at the local YMCA
. Lin grew up in a devout Christian
family and would one day like to be a pastor
who can head up non-profit organizations, either home or abroad. He has also talked of working in inner-city communities to help with underprivileged children.
In a video interview conducted by Elie Seckbach
, he asked Jeremy how it felt to be representing so many people. Jeremy 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." He was then asked if he was fluent in Chinese. Jeremy stated that he could understand it, but could use some help speaking it. In an interview conducted with NBADraft.net, Jeremy stated that he could only speak Mandarin
, not Cantonese
but can only read and write a little but had also taken classes while attending Harvard to try to improve. In a later interview attended by basketball players (under the age of 19) from Taiwan, he stated he would like to visit Taiwan
again but also work on speaking Chinese
.
around the world, named Lin one of its top eight influential Chinese-Americans.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). After receiving no athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
offers out of high school and being undrafted out of college, the Harvard University
Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
graduate reached a partially-guaranteed contract deal with his hometown Warriors.
Lin is the first American player in the NBA to be of Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
or of Taiwanese
Taiwanese people
Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
descent.
High school career
In his senior year in 2005–2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High SchoolPalo Alto High School
Palo Alto Senior High School, known locally as "Paly," was founded in 1898 and is one of the oldest high schools in the region. Located in Palo Alto, California, United States, Paly is nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is adjacent to Stanford University. Paly is known for its academically...
to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei, 51–47, for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
Division II state title. According to Dana O'Neil of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, "... Lin was the runaway choice for player of the year by virtually every California publication." 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.
Recruiting process
Lin sent his resume and a DVD of highlights to all the Ivy League schools, CalCalifornia Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal men's basketball
The Stanford Cardinal Men's Basketball team represents Stanford University, located in Stanford, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference. The team has won 13 conference championships , the last in 2004, and one NCAA championship, in 1942...
, and his dream school, UCLA
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
. The Pac-10 schools wanted him to walk-on. Harvard
Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
and Brown
Brown Bears
The Brown Bears is a name shared by all sports teams at Brown University, a university located in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. The Bears are part of the Ivy League conference. Brown's mascot is Bruno. Both the men's and women's teams share the name, competing in 37 National...
were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Lin chose to attend Harvard.
Joe Lacob
Joe Lacob
Joseph "Joe" Lacob is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the majority owner of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association .-Early life:...
, incoming Warriors' owner and Stanford booster
Booster club
A booster club is an organization that is formed to support an associated club, sports team, or organization. Booster clubs are popular in American schools at the high school and university level...
, said Stanford's failure to recruit Lin "was really stupid. The kid was right across the street. You can’t recognize that, [then] you've got a problem."
Kerry Keating
Kerry Keating
Kerry Keating is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Santa Clara University.Keating was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts and grew up in Rockville Centre, on New York's Long Island...
, the UCLA assistant who offered Lin the opportunity to walk-on, would say in hindsight that Lin would probably have ended up starting at point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
for UCLA.
Rex Walters
Rex Walters
-External links:...
, University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
men's basketball coach and a retired NBA player, said NCAA limits on coaches’ recruiting visits impacted Lin. “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."
Bill Holden, Harvard assistant coach, had initially told Lin's high school coach, Peter Diepenbrock, that Harvard was not interested in Lin. "Three weeks later, he calls me and says, 'I may have spoken a little too soon,'" Diepenbrock said.
Harvard
In his sophomore season (2007–08), Lin averaged 12.6 points and was named All-Ivy League Second Team.By his junior year during the 2008–09 season
2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2008 and ended with the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 6, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The season saw six different teams achieve the AP #1 ranking during the...
, he was the only NCAA Division I men's basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player who ranked in the top ten in his conference for scoring
Point (basketball)
Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....
(17.8), rebounding
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
(5.5), assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
(4.3), steals
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...
(2.4), blocked shots (0.6), field goal percentage
Field goal percentage
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Three-point field goals are included in this percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes...
(0.502), free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
percentage (0.744), and 3 point shot percentage (0.400), 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
Boston College Eagles men's basketball
The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college basketball program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team has competed in the ACC since 2005, having previously played in the Big East. Home games have been played at the Conte Forum since 1988, having previously been played...
, three days after the Eagles had knocked off No. 1 North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
.
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
John R. Wooden Award
The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
and one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award
Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Association champion Bob Cousy, who played point guard for the Boston Celtics...
. He was also invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, or "PIT", is the United States' oldest amateur basketball tournament and the only postseason camp conducted for the top NCAA seniors only....
. Fran Fraschilla
Fran Fraschilla
-External links:*...
of ESPN picked Lin among the 12 most versatile players in college basketball. He gained national attention for his performance against the 12th ranked Connecticut Huskies
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...
, against whom he scored a career-high tying 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds on the road. After the game, Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun
Jim Calhoun
James A. Calhoun is the head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team. His teams have won three national championships , played in four Final Fours , won the 1988 NIT championship, and have won seven Big East tournament championships...
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."
For the season, Harvard set numerous program records including wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11) and road/neutral wins (10).
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).
He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and a 3.1 grade-point average.
Undrafted
If drafted, Lin would have been the first Ivy Leaguer selected by the NBA since Jerome Allen of Pennsylvania in the second round in 19951995 NBA Draft
The 1995 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1995 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft for the two Canadian expansion teams, Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies...
. The last Ivy Leaguer to play in the NBA was Yale's
Yale Bulldogs men's basketball
The Yale Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, competing in the Ivy League. The team plays home games in the John J. Lee Amphitheater of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium...
Chris Dudley
Chris Dudley
Christen Guilford "Chris" Dudley is a retired American basketball player who played 16 years and 886 games in the NBA for five different teams. A journeyman center, he was known primarily for his defensive skill as a rebounder and shot blocker...
in , while the last Harvard player in the league was Ed Smith
Ed Smith (basketball)
Edward "Ed" Smith was an NBA basketball player for the New York Knicks. He was drafted with the sixth pick in the first round of the 1951 NBA Draft by the Knicks. He made his NBA debut in the 1953-54 NBA season and played in eleven games where he averaged 2.5 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per...
in . After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
. 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."
He later joined the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
for mini-camp as well as their NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
team in Las Vegas. Donnie Nelson
Donnie Nelson
Donnie Nelson is the General Manager and president of basketball operations for the NBA team the Dallas Mavericks. Donnie attended Worcester Academy for High School. He is the son of Don Nelson, the former head coach of the Golden State Warriors...
of the Mavericks was the only General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
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."
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. Lin turned heads in his matchup against first overall pick John Wall
John Wall (basketball)
Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr. is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards...
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.
While Wall received the biggest cheer for any player during introductions, the crowd had turned on Wall and was cheering for Lin by the end of the game.
Lin received offers to sign from the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and an unnamed Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
team. The Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
would also offer Lin a contract in addition to the original three teams.
Golden State Warriors
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 hold a team option for the second season. The reports noted that the deal would include a first-year salary of close to $500,000 with more than half of it guaranteed. Lacob had made the decision to sign Lin. Lin said the counteroffers from the three other teams were higher, but he wanted to come home and play for the Warriors.Lin also signed a three-year guaranteed contract with Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
. His jersey was already on sale before his first NBA game.
On October 8 in the Warriors' exhibition opener at their home in Oracle Arena, the loudest ovation of the night from the crowd of 10,004 was for Lin when he entered the game with 10:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. The crowd started chanting for Lin in the third quarter. They 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. Warriors' head coach Keith Smart
Keith Smart
Jonathan Keith Smart is a retired American basketball player and current assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. He is best remembered for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1987 NCAA championship game. The shot gave the Indiana Hoosiers a 74–73 victory over the Syracuse Orangemen...
said Lin drew the crowd's attention on the road as well. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com attributes the attention Lin had received out of town to the unique angle of "an Asian-American rising to rare basketball prominence".
Lin notices the expectations that follow him. "I've got news for them," Lin said with a smile, "I won't be an All-Star this year."
The attention Lin has received is tricky for him. While he would prefer to be able to just concentrate on his play without all the attention, he is appreciative of the unbelievable support he has received, especially from the Asian-American community. Lin wants to be a role model to young Asian-Americans. He has found the attention awkward as he says he has not "proven anything to anybody."
Frank Hughes of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
wrote that Lin talks with the occasional "seeds of self-doubt" which is not common to hear in the NBA. Hughes also found it rare when Lin compared himself to the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
' backup point guard Goran Dragić. “Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we’re both effective and know how to play the game,” Lin said.
Lin and Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (basketball)
-Freshman season:Before Stephen Curry played even one college game, head coach, Bob McKillop, said at a Davidson Alumni event, "Wait till you see Steph Curry...
, 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
runner-up Rookie of the Year
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
and a gold medal winner in the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...
, get more interview requests than any other Warrior. Team officials regularly deny requests for Lin to help him keep his focus. He has been approached to be the subject of documentaries.
Smart planned to take pressure off Lin since Lin has a tendency to be hard on himself and get frustrated. 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.
Lin made the Warriors' opening day roster for the 2010–11 regular season
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
, but he was placed on the inactive list. While he was disappointed, Lin noted that "part of being on this team is putting your ego aside." Lin made his official NBA debut in the next game against the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. 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. He did not score in the 109–91 win but recorded one steal after tying up the ball and winning the subsequent jump ball
Jump ball
A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in basketball. It is similar to a face-off in ice hockey or ball-up in Australian rules football...
.
In the next game against the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Lin scored his first NBA basket, had three assists, and recorded four steals. He was applauded by the road crowd at Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
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. "[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
Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His NBA career has spanned more than 14 years, during which he has won five NBA Championships...
praised him for his energy and aggressiveness.
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."
At Toronto on November 8, the Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
held Asian Heritage Night to coincide with Lin's visit with the Warriors. Over 20 members of Toronto's Chinese media covered the game. 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. In the following game at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
against the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Lin again entered the game in the first half. According to ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
NBA editor Matt Wong, "Lin checked into the game to loud applause, presumably from the many Asian-Americans in attendance." He had scored seven total points in his first six games played during the year. In a 89-117 road loss to the Lakers, Lin scored a career-high 13 points in 18 minutes and again earned big cheers from fans in Los Angeles.
An April 5, 2011, article posted by Slam Online stated that during intrasquad scrimmages between Warriors players, head coach Keith Smart
Keith Smart
Jonathan Keith Smart is a retired American basketball player and current assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. He is best remembered for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1987 NCAA championship game. The shot gave the Indiana Hoosiers a 74–73 victory over the Syracuse Orangemen...
implemented a rule. The rule was that no foul committed against Lin would ever be called. The idea behind this is that since Lin was rookie and a not a well-known established player, he would not get many calls from the referees. Thus Jeremy would learn how to play through it and coach Smart acknowledged that Jeremy has. In the same article, Lin credits Reno Bighorns coach Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman
Eric P. Musselman is an American basketball coach and the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors...
with "helping him regain [his] swagger."
Three times during the season, Lin was assigned to the Warriors' D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. Each time, he was later recalled by the Warriors. 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. Lin posted a season-high 27 points with the Bighorns on March 18. 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 wouldn't have received at the time with the Warriors. 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."
Regular season
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 29 || 0 || 9.8 || .389 || .200 || .760 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 2.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 29 || 0 || 9.8 || .389 || .200 || .760 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 2.6
International competition
Lin has been invited by Chinese TaipeiChinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
, which is the designated name used by the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
in international events, to play for their men's national basketball team in FIBA competitions. On July 28, 2010 while in Taipei to play in Yao Ming
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
's charity game, Lin said he had not made a decision yet on whether he would represent Chinese Taipei. In June 2011, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) included Lin in its preliminary squad of 24 players for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. The next month, however, the CTBA announced that Lin would not be included on their roster due to a knee injury. Lin was also approached by People's Republic of China to play in the same tournament, but he declined their offer.
On August 4, 2011, Lin stated that he would consider playing overseas during the 2011 NBA lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...
. He wants to be fully recovered from his injury before making a decision. In a video interview with CCTV-5
CCTV-5
CCTV-5 , also known as the Sports Channel, part of the China Central Television family of networks, is the main sports broadcaster in the People's Republic of China. CCTV-5 began broadcasting on 1 January 1995...
during the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, Jeremy Lin said he would be open to considering playing in the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
and playing for the People's Republic of China but will make the decision when the time comes.
Italian teams, including Virtus Roma
Pallacanestro Virtus Roma
Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, also known for sponsorship reasons as Acea Virtus Roma, is a prominent Italian League professional basketball club, and is also currently one of 13 European clubs that hold ULEB A Licenses, which provide their holders with a guaranteed place in the Euroleague. The club...
, showed interest in signing Jeremy Lin during the 2011 NBA lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...
.
Asian American stereotypes
Sean Gregory of TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
wrote of Lin's zero Division I scholarship offers: "[Lin] was scrawny, but don't doubt that a little racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
, intentional or otherwise, contributed to his underrecruitment." Lin said: "I'm not saying top-5 state automatically gets you offers, but I do think (my ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
) did affect the way coaches recruited me. I think if I were a different race, I would've been treated differently."
Lin's high school coach, Peter 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
Kezar Pavilion
Kezar Pavilion, located adjacent to Kezar Stadium, is an indoor arena in the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. The Pavilion, built in 1924, seats 4,000...
in San Francisco, his coach said, someone there informed him: "Sorry, sir, there's no volleyball here tonight. It's basketball." During Lin's college career, fewer than 0.5% of men's Division 1 basketball players were Asian-American.
Lin has regularly heard bigoted jeers at games such as "Wonton
Wonton
Not to be confused with WantonA wonton is a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese cuisines.-Filling:...
soup", "Sweet and sour pork
Sweet and sour pork
Sweet and sour pork is a Chinese dish that is particularly popular in Cantonese cuisine and may be found all over the world. A traditional Jiangsu dish called Pork in a sugar and vinegar sauce is considered its ancestor....
", "Open your eyes!", "Go back to China", "Orchestra is on the other side of campus", or Chinese gibberish. Lin says this occurred even 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. The heckling came mostly from fans and not as much from players. According to Harvard teammate Oliver McNally, a fellow Ivy League player did once call Lin a "chink
Chink
Chink, chinki, chinky or chinkie is a pejorative term referring mainly to a person of Chinese ethnicity but sometimes generalized to refer to any person of East Asian descent...
".
In January 2010, Harvard played against Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
at the Leavey Center
Leavey Center
Leavey Center, also known as the Leavey Activities Center or occasionally by its old nickname the Toso Pavilion, is Santa Clara University's indoor basketball arena in Santa Clara, California. It is home to the Santa Clara University Broncos Division I Basketball and Volleyball Teams...
, 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
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
."
Lin considers himself a basketball player more than just an Asian American. He understands that there are not many Asians in the NBA. "Maybe I can help break the stereotype," said Lin. Asian Americans who have played in the NBA prior to the 2010–11 NBA season
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
include Wataru Misaka
Wataru Misaka
is a retired American basketball player. He was the first player of Asian descent and the first non-Caucasian person to play in the National Basketball Association .-Biography:...
, Raymond Townsend
Raymond Townsend
Raymond Anthony Townsend is a Filipino-American retired professional basketball player.A 6'3", 175-lb point guard, Townsend attended Camden High School and Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California before playing college basketball at UCLA...
, Corey Gaines
Corey Gaines
Corey Yasuto Gaines is an American former professional basketball player and the current coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury....
, Rex Walters
Rex Walters
-External links:...
, and Robert Swift
Robert Swift
Robert Swift is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for Tokyo Apache...
. "[Lin's] carrying the hopes of an entire continent. I only had to carry the hopes of Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. He's accomplished a lot more than I have already," said Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher
Derek Lamar Fisher is an American professional basketball point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His NBA career has spanned more than 14 years, during which he has won five NBA Championships...
, who had won five NBA championships with the Lakers, after his first game against Lin. Lin is setting an example for prospective Asian athletes in America who rarely see Asian-Americans playing on their favorite teams. "I don't look Japanese," Walters said, referring to his mother's ethnicity. "When they see [Lin], it's an Asian-American.
Larry Riley
Larry Riley
Larry Riley, who has 23 years of experience in the NBA, is the General Manager of the Golden State Warriors, replacing Chris Mullin in 2009.A graduate of Chadron State with an honors degree in education, Riley was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993...
, the Warriors' general manager, denied that Lin’s signing was done to cater to the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
’s large Asian population. He understood that some people would look at 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." While the team was creating a campaign around him, Riley said it would not have been advisable if Lin was not a basketball player first.
Personal
Lin grew up in Palo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. His parents, Gie-Ming and Shirley, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s. They are both 5 feet 6 inches tall. His paternal family comes from Beidou, Changhua
Beidou, Changhua
Beidou Township is a town in Changhua County, Taiwan. It is famous for ba-wan, a popular Taiwanese food item that was invented in the township. It is located in an alluvial plain in the southeast part of the county....
in Taiwan. with ancestry in Zhangpu, Fujian
Zhangpu County
Zhangpu is a county under Zhangzhou municipality in southernmost Fujian. The governmental seat is at SuiAn Town ....
; while his maternal grandmother is from Pinghu, Zhejiang in today's China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He has an older brother, Josh, and a younger brother, Joseph, who is set to play basketball for Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
in the fall of 2010. Gie-Ming taught his sons to play basketball at the local YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. Lin grew up in a devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
family and would one day like to be a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
who can head up non-profit organizations, either home or abroad. He has also talked of working in inner-city communities to help with underprivileged children.
In a video interview conducted by Elie Seckbach
Elie Seckbach
Elie Seckbach is a sports writer who has been covering the NBA since 1997.His unconventional style is loved by his fans who check in on a daily basis to see what’s the latest on his “reeeporting.”. Elie covers everything from boxing to basketball....
, he asked Jeremy how it felt to be representing so many people. Jeremy responded by stating, "It's humbling, a privilege, and a honor. I'm really proud of being Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, I'm really proud of my parents being from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. I just thank God for the opportunity." He was then asked if he was fluent in Chinese. Jeremy stated that he could understand it, but could use some help speaking it. In an interview conducted with NBADraft.net, Jeremy stated that he could only speak Mandarin
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
, not Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
but can only read and write a little but had also taken classes while attending Harvard to try to improve. In a later interview attended by basketball players (under the age of 19) from Taiwan, he stated he would like to visit Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
again but also work on speaking Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
.
Public image
In July 2011, Vivid Magazine, a glossy magazine dedicated to overseas ChineseOverseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
around the world, named Lin one of its top eight influential Chinese-Americans.
Further reading
- The Faith and Fate of Jeremy Lin at PatheosPatheos- History :Patheos was founded in 2008 by Leo and Cathie Brunnick, both web technology professionals and residents of Denver, Colorado. Leo, a non-practicing Catholic, and Cathie, a Lutheran-turned-Evangelical, started the project the week they were married as they tried to blend their...
– part 1 - Jeremy Lin – Faith and Ethnicity at PatheosPatheos- History :Patheos was founded in 2008 by Leo and Cathie Brunnick, both web technology professionals and residents of Denver, Colorado. Leo, a non-practicing Catholic, and Cathie, a Lutheran-turned-Evangelical, started the project the week they were married as they tried to blend their...
– part 2 - Harvard Basketball Takes Off on InterVarsity.org (from InterVarsity Christian FellowshipInterVarsity Christian FellowshipInterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is an inter-denominational, evangelical Christian, student-led ministry which for the past 70 years has been dedicated to establishing witnessing communities on U.S. college and university campuses...
) - Jeremy Lin: Taking Harvard basketball to new levels – Student Soul interview with Jeremy
- Jeremy Lin at Ivy League Basketball News – Jeremy Lin videos & news clips at Ivybbn.com