Jeremy Lin, Nearly a Decade After ‘Linsanity,’ Hints at ‘Big Decisions’ Coming in Free Agency
Nearly a decade after ‘Linsanity’ took over the world, veteran point guard Jeremy Lin hasn’t hung up his sneakers yet.
Lin, the veteran point guard who played nine NBA seasons, spent last year in China. From breaking out alongside Carmelo Anthony on the New York Knicks to winning an NBA title with Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors, Lin has had a busy basketball career.
Lin, who turned 32 in August, recently acknowledged that he has “big decisions” coming in the next few weeks. The global icon can either return to China for another season, or hope an NBA team gives him an opportunity.
Jeremy Lin rose to prominence with ‘Linsanity’
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After going undrafted out of Harvard in 2010, Jeremy Lin played in 29 games for the Golden State Warriors that season.
These were the pre-Splash Brothers days — Stephen Curry was only in his second season, and Klay Thompson hadn’t entered the NBA yet — and Lin didn’t do enough to show Golden State he warranted a future there.
Lin landed with the New York Knicks in the strike-shortened 2011-12 season, and things suddenly took off. In 35 games and 25 starts, Lin averaged 14.6 points on 44.6% shooting from the field and nailed 32% of his three-point shots.
Lin added 6.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per night, quickly becoming a viral sensation under the ‘Linsanity’ guise.
Highlights from ‘Linsanity’ included nine 20-point games in 11 games from February 4 to February 22. Lin hit a game-winning threat against the Toronto Raptors amid that streak and had a 38-point outing against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
However, a left knee injury ended Lin’s season early, and the team allowed him to join the Houston Rockets in free agency.
Lin has had a busy professional basketball career
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Jeremy Lin never became an All-Star or All-NBA player after ‘Linsanity,’ but he proved to be a solid player nonetheless.
From 2012-16, Lin played in at least 71 games each season and averaged 12.2 points on 43.1% shooting (and 34.9% from three-point range) alongside 4.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per night for three teams.
Injuries got in Lin’s way, especially after returning to New York and joining Brook Lopez and the Brooklyn Nets in 2016. Lin played only 37 games for the Nets in two years and missed all but one game of the 2017-18 season with a severe right knee injury.
Brooklyn traded Lin to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018, and he looked like his old self as a sixth man that year.
Lin closed that season with the Toronto Raptors and, despite only averaging 3.4 minutes a night in eight postseason games, joined Kawhi Leonard and teammates as an NBA champion.
Jeremy Lin just hinted at ‘big decisions’ in free agency
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Jeremy Lin spent last season playing for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
At 32 years old, Lin still hopes to play in the NBA again. In a recent Instagram post, Lin shared the motivation that is keeping his NBA comeback dreams alive.
“Competition 201: don’t get it twisted though opponents and seasons will come and go. But in this journey of life, your greatest opponent will always be yourself! Comfort is the beginning of the end. Never stop striving, never stop wanting it!”
Lin often interacts with Instagram users who comment on his pictures. One user requested Lin not return to the CBA.
“Big decisions coming up soon but that’s an option on the table for sure,” Lin wrote.
Barring any COVID-related schedule changes, the NBA season is expected to begin on December 22. The NBA preseason will begin next week, barely two months after LeBron James and the Lakers — Lin’s old team — won the NBA Finals.
Lin will need to make that “big decision” soon. The CBA began its 2020-21 season in October, and Lin is in the United States trying to make an NBA comeback.
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