First Half NBA Regular Season 2012-2013
Today ESPN: The crossover appeal of Jeremy Lin
Playbook: Why was it so important to create the Jeremy Lin Foundation?
Jeremy Lin: It’s everything I’ve wanted to do for a while. My motivation behind it was understanding I was a sinner, and Jesus Christ came in as the best gift that God can give me. In doing so, I wanted to be able to love and serve other people in the community. I also understand that growing up, I had a lot of people that really helped me see what the right path was, help me grow as a person and be a positive influence.
Playbook: You worked relentlessly to get where you are, but you still needed some breaks and opportunities. Does that tie in to the importance of the foundation?
Lin: Absolutely. We selected three organizations that we feel are doing great work in Houston, but they might not have had breaks or opportunities, so we’re trying to partner with them to help give them that opportunity, whether it’s a boost in exposure or resources.
Playbook: How do you view your role or responsibilities in the Asian American community?
Lin: It’s really unique, and I’m thankful for it. I wasn’t always a big spotlight guy, and it took me a little bit by surprise. I’ve learned to embrace it, be who I am and hope that inspires others to pursue their dreams and be a better person. A lot of people have helped me be where I am today. Anything I can do to pass on what I’ve learned from other people is really cool.
Playbook: You were the subject of a Sundance documentary called "Linsanity." What was it like to be a part of that film-making process?
Lin: That was just tremendous. We started it before I had ever gone to New York. That was the coolest part of it. We have the whole journey. We have me being cut, me getting waved, me going to the D-League -- the moments when I basically had to be dragged in front of the camera to be filmed, even though I didn’t really want to. Looking back, it was one of the best things ever.
Playbook: Was it easy to get comfortable in front of the camera?
Lin: Once I became friends with the director, Evan [Leong], it was really easy, but before that it was tough.
Playbook: How did that whole process begin?
Lin: They approached me when I was at Harvard and asked; I said, "No way!" They approached me in the summer league, into the draft process, then I signed with Golden State. For the whole first year, I didn’t want to do it. Then the lockout came around and I thought, This a good opportunity; I might be able to make a little project out of it, and worst-case scenario, I’ll get some cool footage to look back at later on in life.
Playbook: When Linsanity actually happened, and the documentary crews were there before it happened, did you guys look at each other and just ask, "What is happening? Can you believe this?"
Lin: Oh yeah. Definitely. I remember they were texting me after every game. "Oh my goodness, what is going on?" It was all a blessing from God the way everything turned out, and now we have a story to tell and share with the whole world.
Playbook: You just shot a “This is SportsCenter” commercial. What was that process like?
Lin: It was fun. The crew was hilarious. They made it super easy. The lines -- I was laughing every time.
Playbook: Those weren’t your vocabulary words?
Lin: No, those were scripted unfortunately.
Playbook: Harvard’s going to be upset.
Lin: My bad, I let you guys down.
Playbook: Linsanity was almost exactly a year ago. How would you characterize how your life has changed in the last year?
Lin: Night and day. Literally overnight everything changed. Went from just trying to hold on to my career, not knowing if my next day would be my last in the NBA, to this. A lot has come at once, and I’m thankful for it all. It’s been a crazy and very enjoyable ride.
Jeremy Lin: Rockets Guard's Grounded Personality Is a Breath of Fresh Air
By Michael Moraitis on February 19, 2013
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Jeremy Lin of the Houston Rockets has experienced an incredible rise to fame during his young career, but that has never turned him into an egomaniac or anything close to that nature.
To this day, Lin remains about as grounded as any international sensation has ever been.
His story is well documented.
Lin's rise to fame began last year as a member of the New York Knicks. The team was struggling as the month of February came and it looked as though the Knicks were doomed with a losing record and two of its star players on the shelf for differing reasons.
But then came Linsanity.
Starting on Feb. 4, 2012, Lin went on a streak the likes of which the NBA had never seen. His points were coming in bunches and he looked to be off to the best start of any NBA career ever.
On top of that, Lin was doing this in New York and that instantly shot him to global stardom.
He has since moved on to Houston after the Knicks were unwilling to pay him what the Rockets were, but he remains an icon to many around the world nonetheless.
As a Knicks fan myself, I have nothing bad to say about Lin and I am forever thankful that he came along because without him and his improbable run, the Knicks wouldn't have made the playoffs last season.
Naturally, people believed that Lin was a shoe-in to be an All-Star this season despite his lackluster numbers because of his immense popularity around the world.
Everyone, that is, except for Lin.
According to Dave Zangaro of CSN Houston, Lin didn't feel he was deserving of the honor and was happy not to have been selected at all:
“I’m kind of thankful I didn’t get voted because when … I want to make sure I’m fully, fully deserving of it, when I play,” Lin said after the team’s evening practice on Monday. “And I didn’t feel like that was the case this year.”
And he is right.
Lin's numbers (12.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game) are not exactly All-Star worthy—especially when comparing them to fellow teammate James Harden's numbers (26.1 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds per game), whom he beat in voting by nearly 400,000 votes.
The amount of votes Lin received was based on popularity alone and nothing else. Not a soul on this planet can say that they voted for Lin based on performance when you see Harden sitting behind him.
It was great to see Lin's response and it further makes it easy to like the Rockets' point guard as a person.
It would have been easy for Lin to say he should be involved in the All-Star Game because of the global appeal he has and what that would obviously do to enhance viewership, but he simply didn't go that route with an army of people ready to support him.
Instead, Lin wants his first All-Star Game to be based on his performance on the court, not his popularity off of it.
Even when he was taking the world by storm last season, Lin never forgot to thank his coach and his teammates for the incredible success he was enjoying. That was the first sign that Lin was not someone who would be overtaken by ego while putting reality to the side.
People who don't like Lin really do not have a reason. He is a nice guy and has never really done anything to alienate himself. Detractors of the Harvard product are mostly unhappy with his incredible following, which is no fault of his own.
Lin can't control the media attention and unmatched fan support he's received over the past few years, so to dislike him as a result just doesn't make sense.
At the end of the day, Lin is one of the most grounded basketball players the NBA has, and that's even more true when taking his stardom into consideration.
After this most recent quote, if you don't like Lin for some reason, that is a problem all your own.
