PALO ALTO — Jeremy Lin cringes just a little bit when he hears folks speak about his notorious Linsanity run.
The Palo Alto native and former NBA standout by no means thought he would nonetheless be listening to tales about his legendary two-week stretch throughout the 2011-12 season over a decade later, however studying about how he served as an inspiration to Asian People brings a smile to his face.
“Each time I hear about (Linsanity), I’m like, ‘Don’t inform me how previous you have been when it occurred,’” Lin advised the Bay Space Information Group on Saturday. “I didn’t suppose we’d nonetheless be speaking about that proper now. However yearly I’ve seen that the story continues to be very prevalent. It’s nonetheless very related. Lots of people nonetheless care about it. Seeing folks inform me they have been in center faculty or elementary faculty when it occurred, it’s loopy seeing time fly.”
Simply 13 years after Linsanity shook up the sports activities world, Lin is grateful to have impressed the subsequent technology of Asian American basketball gamers. On Saturday, he held his inaugural JLIN NextGen Basketball Camp in Palo Alto, the place he introduced collectively the highest Asian American faculty basketball gamers from throughout the nation for 2 days of knowledgeable coaching and intense exercises.
The gamers who attended Saturday’s camp weren’t even in highschool when Lin had his breakout second. However studying from the person who impressed them to attempt to play basketball on the highest ranges was a dream come true for the group of 12 gamers.
“I used to be simply tremendous excited that he gave me the chance to come back and was excited after I noticed the invite to the camp,” mentioned Stanford guard Ryan Agarwal. “It was loopy to see his longevity and his greatness even when he wasn’t within the media highlight.”
Lin simply accomplished his fifteenth professional season, at present taking part in for the New Taipei Kings of the Taiwanese Skilled Basketball League. As his taking part in days wind down, Lin, 35, believes the subsequent part of his life will probably be to assist mentor the subsequent technology of Asian American gamers to get to the place he as soon as was.
“I undoubtedly see myself moving into this area. To what diploma or what that function seems to be like, I don’t know,” Lin mentioned. “However I’ll for certain be pouring into the subsequent technology and sharing my ideas. Hopefully, I can import some knowledge.
“This camp is an enormous first step. We’ve by no means achieved one thing like this. I assume that is considerably of a transition for me from being a participant to being a coach.”
Lin’s NBA profession took him to Charlotte, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Toronto and even his hometown Golden State Warriors. But it surely was with the New York Knicks the place Lin grew to become a worldwide star.
Over a two-week stretch throughout the 2011-2012 season, Lin went from practically out of the league to turning into the Knicks’ star level guard. He landed on the quilt of Time Journal and on Sports activities Illustrated in back-to-back weeks after averaging 25 factors, 9.2 assists whereas main the Knicks to an 8-1 report in that interval.
Palo Alto Excessive graduate and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo level guard Annika Shah nonetheless remembers staying up late to observe all of Lin’s legendary run.
“I don’t suppose I’ll ever overlook Linsanity and the run that he had,” Shah mentioned. “Each single second to that a part of his story was simply outstanding and it impressed quite a lot of Asian athletes. It gave us hope that possibly if we are able to work exhausting sufficient, we will put one other Asian athlete on a platform that he has.”
Lin’s influence for Asian American basketball gamers has been felt because the years go by.
Through the 2011-2012 season, Lin was the one Asian American participant within the league. In 2025, Jordan Clarkson, Jalen Inexperienced, Kyle Anderson, Jaylin Williams and Johnny Juzang have been all gamers of Asian American descent to swimsuit up in an NBA sport. On the ladies’s facet, Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen grew to become the primary Taiwanese American participant to be drafted to a WNBA group.
“We’re undoubtedly seeing extra illustration,” Lin mentioned. “I’ve a small function in simply impacting who I can and sharing data with who I can. One of many issues that I’ve seen that’s disappointing to me is that we’ve seen some gamers from the older generations rag on the brand new gamers from the youthful technology.
“I feel we should always have quite a lot of mutual respect and appreciation for one another. So any approach I may help gamers, huge or small or rather a lot or just a little, I really feel like that’s my responsibility. To provide again to the sport.”
Saturday’s camp gave the 12 faculty gamers a glance into how Lin ready in his offseason.
Lin rotated by way of intense capturing and ball dealing with drills and even took the gamers by way of a strenuous lifting session earlier than they touched a basketball. However at the same time as a coach, Lin didn’t decrease his depth as every participant tried to get by way of the grueling exercises.
Similar to he was drenched in sweat after his sport winner towards the Toronto Raptors in 2012, Lin was soaked once more, this time as he gave out directions and demonstrated drill after drill. He anticipated the gamers to comply with swimsuit, working towards with the identical sense of urgency he did when he was nonetheless attempting to earn an NBA contract.
“This opened up my eyes to see the world from a professional’s perspective,” Agarwal mentioned. “It was cool to simply perceive that I can study from anybody. He even mentioned he may study from us. And so I feel him saying he may study from youngsters at his personal camp, I feel that humbles us to be keen to study from anybody that we’re round.”
Lin hasn’t performed in an NBA sport since 2019, the 12 months he received an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors group that defeated the Warriors of their final sport at Oracle Area.
Now in his mid-30s, Lin mentioned he desires to retire on his personal accord whether or not that’s abroad or within the NBA.
“I would like to have the ability to exit not as a result of I can’t play or can’t bodily play. I would like to have the ability to exit the best way I wish to exit,” Lin mentioned. “The sport has given rather a lot to me, however discovering that good center floor of, ‘Hey, possibly I may play just a little bit extra, however I don’t have to.’ I’ve achieved rather a lot in my taking part in profession, so I’m nonetheless attempting to determine that steadiness.”
