Chinese-born star Jeremy Lin joins the NBA’s G-League Santa Cruz Warriors.
Chinese-born star Jeremy Lin, who gave up his $3 million contract in China to join the NBA’s G League Santa Cruz Warriors, admits “some people think I’m crazy,” but he’s eager to make a difference and write another inspiring story.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lin decided to give up his $3 million contract with China’s Beijing Shougang last year and officially joined the Santa Cruz Warriors in early January. The reason behind the new deal, which is less than the average annual salary of an American elementary school teacher, is Lin’s desire to prove that he still belongs in the NBA.
Lin will arrive with the team at the end of the month at Orlando disney Stadium. With 15 games in the season starting February 8, this is Lin’s chance to prove his health and playing performance.
The newspaper pointed out that in the past few years, Lin avoided talking about “Lin Lai madness”, a word coined by New York Knicks fans in 2012, when the 3-week Lin Lai madness vortex made Lin an international celebrity.
In the seven years since 2012, Lin has been through six teams, playing for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks, before winning the NBA championship with the Toronto Tyranids in 2019.
Despite being the first Asian-American to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Lin is uneasy about the conflicting fallout between the media attention he has received as a result, and the self-fulfillment he has in mind.
When no NBA team signed him in August 2019, Lin headed to China to develop and join the Beijing Ducks. Lin saw “Lin Come Crazy” as a bitter reminder, an unfinished promise, remembered more for his failure to transcend himself.
However, as a member of the Chinese Basketball Association in the past, Lin lived in the penthouse of a Chinese building in downtown Beijing, was transported to and from practice in a limousine, and was often hounded by fans to the elevator of his hotel for autographs. He feels “surreal” to be treated like a rock star.
Lin said he had a lot of fan support and a great life in China, and he admitted that “some people think I’m crazy” for giving that up to return to the United States.
After his Beijing Ducks were defeated in the CBA semifinals last August, he returned to his parents’ home in the U.S. During his isolation, he pondered his future and asked himself if he would settle for the love of his fans and finish his career in China, or would he always regret not giving the NBA another try?
After contacting his agent, Lin learned that the fastest way to return to the NBA was to join the G-League, which had 35 players drafted last ball season.
In addition, last year he had a long term trauma therapy session with a life coach in Toronto, Canada on “Lin Lailai Madness” and opened up about the pressures of superstardom, the frustration of not being able to recreate the value of Lin Lailai Madness, and the fear that his historical positioning would forever be tied up in less than a month of Lin Lailai Madness.
During the process, Lin re-embraced the phenomenon of Linsanity as a special time in his life, an important personal growth, and a statement to the world that Asians, Asian-Americans and any other overlooked minority “can also strive for greatness. But instead of settling for that and being enamored with the aura of basketball celebrity in China, he learned that he owed it to himself and his fans to be the author of another inspiring story.
When NBA free agent trading began in late November of last year, he called his childhood friend and Warriors assistant general manager Kirk Lacob to request an interview. Lin said he was ready for a comeback in the NBA.
It had been nine years since he last played in the G-League. I really believe I’m an NBA player, but I didn’t join the NBA for the money or for the influence or the fame or anything else,” said Lin, who wants to go beyond himself. I aspire to make a difference.
Recent Comments