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Explainer | Jeremy Lin: bio, ‘Linsanity’, earnings, an NBA championship and his return from China
- From the Knicks’ 2011-12 NBA era to becoming an All-Star in his only CBA season, Lin’s trailblazing career broken down
- The Taiwanese-American managed to persevere despite no scholarships, no draft pick and racial discrimination
Reading Time:6 minutes
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Famed for bringing the fairy tale “Linsanity” 2011-12 era to the NBA, Taiwanese-American point guard Jeremy Lin has amassed a diehard following in the US and China, and continues to push the needle for Asian athlete representation. Here’s what you need to know about the new NBA G League player.
Biography
Jeremy Lin Shu-how was born on August 23, 1988, in Torrance, California, to Taiwanese immigrants and grew up in Palo Alto in the Bay Area. The devout Christian did not receive any dream sports scholarships post-high school and instead opted to study and play at Harvard University, from where he graduated in 2010. Despite three times featuring in the all-Conference select, Lin was undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft and ultimately signed with the Golden State Warriors. He was waived a year later and moved to the New York Knicks.
In 2012, Lin earned a starting spot for the unassuming Knicks and proceeded to spearhead them to seven consecutive wins to reach the coveted postseason NBA Play-offs. The Asian trailblazer captured the world’s attention with his clutch performances and the “Linsanity” phenomenon was born.
After a career-defining season with the Knicks, Lin did the rounds with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors – where he became the first Asian-American to win an NBA championship ring in 2019 – before an explosive move to the Chinese Basketball Association side Beijing Ducks. In his 480 career games so far, he has averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds.
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