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Jeremy Lin: The ‘Linsanity’ Interview
J
eremy Lin was born in
Los Angeles, Calif.,
on Aug. 23, 1988, to
Taiwanese immigrant par-
ents. Encouraged by his
father, he developed a
love of basketball at an
early age.
Raised in a Christian
family, Jeremy’s faith
guided and supported him
as he chased his hoop
dream of playing basketball in the NBA.
Known for his relentless work off court and
on, the young phenom led his Palo Alto
high school team
to a state title
against nationally-
ranked Mater Dei,
an overwhelming
favorite.
Despite his All-
State level play,
however, no Divi-
sion 1 college
recruited Jeremy.
So, he enrolled at
Harvard Universi-
ty, which does not
offer athletic scholarships.
Undrafted by the NBA out of college, he
nevertheless impressed scouts in the sum-
mer league going up against the No. 1 draft
pick. He was eventually signed—but later
cut—by the Golden State Warriors.
A brief stint in Houston ended unceremo-
niously on Christmas Day, 2011. Jeremy
was subsequently picked up by the New
York Knicks. In early
on the verge of
C ELEBRITY 2012,
being cut again, he rose
I NTERVIEW to prominence as a
starter, unlikely team
leader and improbable
by Kam
NBA sensation.
Williams
“Linsanity” was born!
He’s been the Houston
Rockets’ starting point
guard since landing a
three-year, $25 million
deal. Whether facing racial taunts as a child,
or being underestimated on the court, Jere-
my Lin consistently points to his faith as his
means of deal-
ing with both
disappointment
and success.
Here, he talks
about Linsanity,
the new docu-
m e n t a r y
chronicling both
his commitment
to Christ and his
meteoric rise to
superstardom.
My best career decision
was probably not giving up
when I wanted to. God as
well as my family and
friends were there for me
during my toughest times.
Kam Williams: Hi Jeremy, thanks for
the interview.
Jeremy Lin: My pleasure, Kam.
KW: Why did you allow a film crew to
shoot this documentary, especially since
they started following you around while you
were still at Harvard, well before you
became an overnight NBA sensation? Did
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Page 8 The Portland Skanner October 30, 2013
Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons
you have a hunch about how your story was
going to turn out?
JL: I agreed to film after my rookie year
in Golden State. I was more used to cameras
and felt that my journey to the NBA was a
story worth sharing. Little did we know
how much bigger the platform and docu-
mentary would become after Linsanity.
KW: I know you were raised by a father
who loved basketball and a mother who
encouraged you to pursue your dream. But
would you nevertheless say that they put
even more of an emphasis on faith, family
and academics?
JL: Absolutely! Faith, family, academics
and then sports was the order of priorities in
my family. My parents really stuck to these
principles when raising me and my two
brothers. As long as we took care of every-
See LIN on page 10