Nearly two months after becoming the first Asian American NBA champion, Jeremy Lin is in tears as he remains in free agency.
In a sermon at a church in Xindian District, New Taipei City on Sunday, the 30-year-old opened up about his struggles after a knee injury in 2017, which he had feared would get his career “done.”
Lin, whose days of “Linsanity” are purportedly over, said that he waited eight years to play for a championship-level team — but failed to win an important role in up to 15 games with the Toronto Raptors.
At the finals in June, the guard spent only one minute on the court, adding to a scant total of 25.5 minutes for the entire season.
“I thought to myself, you know it’s OK. I’ll take this hit and I’ll get back up,” said Lin, consoling himself over the fact that his team won the championship.
He became more emotional, however, when free agency came around. “This was the last straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.
Lin began to tear up before congregation members, saying that he has “hit rock bottom” and that the NBA has “kind of given up” on him.
“In English, there is a saying that says, ‘Once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up.’ But rock bottom seems to keep getting more and more rock bottom for me. So free agency has been tough. Because I feel like in some ways, the NBA has kind of given up on me. And I always knew that if I gave anybody a reason to doubt, they would.”
Lin drew mixed reactions over his testimony.
Trae Young, who played with him for the Atlanta Hawks before he was traded to the Raptors, said that he’ll “always be a fan” in a tweet.
Meanwhile, others were more critical, arguing that he has not hit rock bottom at age 30, having a Harvard degree and millions in the bank.
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