Jeremy Lin Talks About Linsanity and His NBA Falling-Out

• Jeremy Lin is the subject of a new documentary, 38 at the Garden, about his inspiring ‘Linsanity’ stretch with Nicks.
• Lynn was reluctant to talk about Linsanity, calling it a months-long adrenaline rush, but now she understands why Linsanity meant so much to so many.
• Lynn is still haunted by her sudden drop out of the NBA after 2019.

One of the funniest moments in HBO’s short documentary 38 at the Garden about Jeremy Lin’s meteoric rise in the NBA is when Lin remembers introducing himself to New York Knicks teammate Tyson Chandler.

Lin had just been cut from the Houston Rockets and had his waivers taken back by the Knicks. Chandler suspects that “this little Asian kid,” as Chandler says in the movie, is a fan who sneaked onto the team’s floor. greeted the

It’s a moment that reveals how unlikely Lynn’s rise was.

A few weeks later, he shined as he was pushed into the rotation of the struggling Knicks team. First off the bench he had a 25-point blowout that led New York to victory over then-New Jersey Nets. Lin averaged over 24 points and nine his assists per game during his seven-game winning streak that revived the Knicks’ season and made him an international star.

There were some spectacular moments along the way. dunka timely basket, the winning shot, and, of course, 38 points in thrilling wins over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Inspiration for the title of this documentary.

For years, Lin told an insider that he didn’t want to talk about “Linsanity” and was blown away by the “superhero-esque persona” that fans put on him.

But in recent years, Lin’s departure from the NBA has come to understand what that period means, especially for Asian Americans. “38 at the Garden” devotes a lot of time to the Asian-American experience, which is especially poignant given the recent rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans. .

“I think over time, through my own experiences as a human being, I’ve come to understand why this moment means so much to so many people,” Lynn told Insider.

Months of adrenaline rush

Lynn’s breakout was fitting for a Hollywood storyline. He was an undrafted security guard from Harvard. When the Knicks picked him up, his career was not doing well and his future was uncertain.His breakout game with the Nets came the day before the team was set to cut him. He had nowhere else to stay, so he spent the night before on teammate Landry Fields’ couch.

As Lynn tells the documentary, his agent told him that if he didn’t perform well against the Nets, he might never play in an NBA game again.

“I tried not to think about it, but if it got cut, I think I would have wanted to take the rest of the season off,” Lynn told Insider, adding, “It would have been four different teams.” And I think I was mentally very exhausted from the journey and the uncertainty and the rejection.I don’t know if I’ll be able to join another team this season.”

Then, in an instant, Rin’s popularity exploded. Beyond the havoc he created at Madison Square Garden, Lynn was experiencing a level of fame that was almost incomprehensible.

“There are a lot of weird moments,” Lynn said, recalling women mailing him underwear or saying they were engaged to him. jumped out from behind and surprised him.

“For them, they’re just trying to see me. But for me, it’s really scary when it’s outside my house and they’re waiting behind the bushes outside.” ”

Lynn described Linsanity as a months-long adrenaline rush. He has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a row. He was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential him.

When asked if he had a lesser-known moment, Lynn said he often remembers his 28 points and 14 assists in a win over the Dallas Mavericks.

“It was the best assist of my entire nine-year NBA career,” Lin said. “And I believe [the Mavs] He was the defending champion at the time. But it was a very fun game. Just go headlong back and forth with Dirk. [Nowitzki].”

The Abrupt End of Linsanity

As soon as Linsanity started, it crashed. The Knicks continued to win, but Lynn’s numbers slowly slipped. After appearing in his 25 games as his starting points guard for the team, Lin was revealed to have a damaged meniscus and missed the rest of the season.

Lynn made her first appearance on February 6, 2012. His last match as Nick was on March 23rd.

Its absence seems to have set the stage for Lynn’s departure. Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was reportedly at odds over Mike D’Antoni’s coaching and Lynn’s extraordinary role on the offense.

D’Antoni eventually resigned and was replaced by Mike Woodson. After a coach change and an injury to Lynn, Anthony thrived, averaging 29.8 points per game in the final months of the season and leading the Knicks to the playoffs.

Lynn became a restricted free agent in the offseason. That means Knicks could match the offer he received for free agency. The Knicks fought for that right and sued Lynn’s “bird rights” to his arbitrator, but when Lynn signed his three-year, $25 million offer with the Rockets, the Knicks never got one. I did not.

When asked if the Knicks should be worth it, Anthony called the high-profile offer “ridiculous.” Lynn left the Knicks after just one season.

Today, Lin still isn’t quite sure what happened between him and Anthony, but he wishes they could have communicated better.

“I think the biggest thing was that there was absolutely no interpersonal confrontation between me talking to him directly and him talking to me,” Lynn told Insider. felt very caught off guard by that, which means that to this day I’m not entirely sure what happened, but if I could go back, one thing I definitely want to do is , to do more… have conversations, more honest and open conversations early and often to build that trust and establish fairness in that relationship.”

Lynn then took on the role of a journeyman. He spent his two years with the Rockets averaging 13 points per game. After that, he flew around the league playing for the Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors.

Lynn told an insider that he was somewhat troubled that his reputation was based almost entirely on weeks of All-Star level play. Proud. That’s when the team defied expectations and made it to the playoffs. Lynn called it “special”.

Lynn’s feud with the NBA

Lynn is also uncomfortable with how his time in the NBA ended.He was sacked by the Hawks and picked up by the Raptors in 2019. Lynn played poorly with the Raptors, falling out of the rotation for much of the playoffs and ending up with a championship against the Warriors. talked he didn’t think he won the championship.

That offseason, Lin was a free agent and failed to secure a contract. He’s played in his Ghi league and China since then, but feels it’s too early for the NBA to rate him.

“I didn’t play very well in the last 12 games, and that was the end of it,” Lin said. “So after playing nine years in the league, I thought, I have a reputation and people know what I can do. And he’s done.”

Rin said he had been “begging” for an invitation to the training camp, which was not guaranteed, but was unable to get one.

“When you add it all up, I’d say race has a role to play in that,” Lynn told Insider. My intuition is that there is.”

Lin recently signed a contract to play with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Long Lions.

Lynn, now 34, told Insider she wanted to “run away” from the shadow Linsanity cast. In her “38 at the Garden,” Lynn says she understands why it means so much to people, especially Asian Americans.

“It was a heroic moment. It was a moment that a lot of people haven’t had but wanted to have. Hollywood, the world, we haven’t had these heroic moments.” Rin speaks in the movie.

“It was much bigger than basketball.”

“38 at the Garden” is available to stream on HBO Max.