30-second version: Jeremy Lin, born 1988 in California, ninth-generation Taiwanese. Led his high school to a state championship — zero NCAA Division I scholarship offers. Went to Harvard, went undrafted, got waived by two NBA teams in 15 days. In February 2012, thrust into the starting lineup by desperation, he averaged 24.4 points over seven straight wins and became the most talked-about athlete on the planet. The media called it "Linsanity."[^1] In 2019, he won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors — the first Asian-American player to earn a ring.[^2] In 2025, he retired in Taiwan as the TPBL's first dual MVP, completing a full arc from America to the island his family left nine generations ago.[^3]
From Beidou to Palo Alto
Lin's ancestors left Fujian's Zhangpu County for Taiwan's Changhua County in 1707. He is the ninth generation.[^4] His father, Lin Ji-ming (林繼明), graduated from National Taiwan University's mechanical engineering program, earned a PhD in electrical engineering at Purdue, and settled in California. His mother, Wu Xin-xin (吳信信), also from Taiwan, met his father at Old Dominion University.[^5] The three Lin brothers grew up in Palo Alto, playing basketball with their father at the YMCA every day after work.[^6]
In that world, nobody expected an Asian kid to go pro in basketball. Lin answered with results.
State champion, zero scholarships
In 2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a 32–1 record and a 51–47 upset of nationally ranked Mater Dei at Arco Arena for the CIF Division II state title.[^7] That season he averaged 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.0 steals, earning Northern California Division II Player of the Year.[^7]
State champion. Player of the year. NCAA Division I scholarship offers received: zero.[^1]
No coach believed a 6'3" Asian point guard could compete at the highest level of college basketball. Lin chose Harvard — an Ivy League school that doesn't offer athletic scholarships. He enrolled as a walk-on, majoring in economics.[^1]
Harvard
At a school famous for academics and irrelevant in basketball, Lin became team captain and rewrote school records.[^1] When he graduated in 2010, two paths lay before him: Wall Street or the NBA draft.
He chose the NBA. The result: 30 teams, 60 picks, nobody called his name.[^8]
Waived twice in 15 days
On July 21, 2010, Lin signed with the Golden State Warriors as an undrafted free agent — the team he'd grown up watching. He barely played, spending most of his rookie season in the Development League.[^8]
On December 9, 2011, the Warriors waived him to clear salary cap space. Three days later, on December 12, the Houston Rockets claimed him. Twelve days after that, on December 24, the Rockets waived him too — to sign another player.[^8]
Two teams, 15 days, two pink slips. Unemployed on Christmas Eve.
The New York Knicks picked him up. But he was the last man on the bench, sleeping on a teammate's couch because he didn't know if he'd still be in the city tomorrow.[^1]
Seven games that changed everything
In February 2012, the Knicks' starting point guards went down with injuries. Coach Mike D'Antoni had no choice — he put Lin in.
What happened next, nobody predicted:[^9]
| Date | Opponent | Points | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 4 | Nets | 25 | 7 |
| Feb 6 | Jazz | 28 | 8 |
| Feb 8 | Wizards | 23 | 10 |
| Feb 10 | Lakers | 38 | 7 |
| Feb 11 | Timberwolves | 20 | 8 |
| Feb 14 | Raptors | 27 | 11 |
| Feb 15 | Kings | 10 | 13 |
Seven straight wins. 24.4 points and 9.1 assists per game on 51.2% shooting.[^9]
The February 10 game against the Lakers — 38 points in front of Kobe Bryant — defined Linsanity. On Valentine's Day against the Raptors, he hit a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left, and Madison Square Garden shook like an earthquake.[^10]
The media named the phenomenon "Linsanity." His jersey sales briefly surpassed Kobe and LeBron.[^1] From New York to Taipei, from San Francisco to Hong Kong, Chinese-speaking communities stayed up all night to watch. A Harvard-educated, couch-surfing Asian-American backup had become the most talked-about athlete on Earth.
After the fever
Defenses adjusted. In March 2012, Lin tore his left meniscus and missed the rest of the season.[^1] He went on to play for the Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks, and Raptors — 480 career games, averaging 11.6 points and 4.3 assists.[^11] Solid numbers, but never again the heights of those seven games.
In early 2019, he joined the Toronto Raptors. He played 27 minutes total in the playoffs. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, he got 51 seconds on the court.[^2] But the Raptors won the 2019 championship, and Lin became the first Asian-American player to earn an NBA championship ring.
After the ring, no NBA team called. At a faith gathering, he broke down in tears: "It feels like the NBA has given up on me."[^12]
"Coronavirus"
In 2021, Lin returned to the NBA ecosystem, playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League. During a game, an opposing player called him "coronavirus."[^13]
He responded publicly: "We are tired of being asked where we're REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being told we're inherently unattractive. We are tired of being invisible." The G League launched a formal investigation. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr publicly backed him.[^13]
This wasn't just one player's experience. It was the Asian-American experience during COVID-19, condensed into a single word on a basketball court.
Coming home to Taiwan
After leaving the NBA, Lin spent one season in China's CBA with the Beijing Ducks.[^14] In late 2022, he made a decision that shook Taiwanese basketball: he joined the P. League+'s New Taipei Kings.
In the 2023–24 season, he scored 33 points in the decisive Game 6 against the Formosa Dreamers, leading the Kings to their first-ever championship.[^3]
In the 2024–25 season — the inaugural year of Taiwan's unified professional league (TPBL) — the 37-year-old Lin won Regular Season MVP, First Team, and Defensive First Team. Then in Game 7 of the Finals, he put up 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists as the Kings beat the Kaohsiung Seaheroes 108–89. He became the first player in TPBL history to win both Regular Season MVP and Finals MVP in the same year.[^3]
In August 2025, he announced his retirement. On December 28, 6,800 fans packed the Xinzhuang Gymnasium to watch the Kings retire his No. 7 jersey. Jay Chou showed up to pay tribute.[^15]
A career that makes no sense
State champion, zero scholarships. Harvard graduate, undrafted. Waived twice in 15 days. Jersey sales surpassing Kobe. 51 seconds in the NBA Finals. Dual MVP at 37 in Taiwan.
Jeremy Lin's career never followed anyone's script — including his own. But precisely because it defied logic, it permanently changed the answer to a question that had been asked for too long: how far can an Asian player go?
[^1]: "Jeremy Lin," Wikipedia. Linsanity timeline, Harvard background, draft status, jersey sales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Lin
[^2]: "林書豪打不到一分鐘，多倫多暴龍拿下NBA總冠軍創造了多少紀錄？" The News Lens, 2019. 51 seconds in Game 3, first Asian-American NBA champion. https://www.thenewslens.com/article/120761
[^3]: "王者加冕！新北國王勇奪TPBL元年總冠軍 林書豪成雙料MVP," TPBL Official, 2025. Game 7: 27 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast; 108–89 over Seaheroes. https://tpbl.basketball/news/168
[^4]: "豪小子血統正解 林書豪父：林家是台灣人," ETtoday, 2012. Lin family arrived in Taiwan from Fujian in 1707; Jeremy is the ninth generation. https://sports.ettoday.net/news/25417
[^5]: "林書豪父親的教養第一步," CommonWealth Magazine. Father Lin Ji-ming: NTU mechanical engineering, Purdue PhD; mother Wu Xin-xin met him at Old Dominion University. https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5129366
[^6]: "「陪伴」是最有效的教養！林書豪母親三大教養觀," MamaClub. Father took all three sons to the YMCA daily. https://mamaclub.com/learn/陪伴是最有效的教養！林書豪母親三大教養觀/
[^7]: "Jeremy Lin and the 2006 All-State Team," ESPN. 32–1 record, CIF Division II state title, 15.1 ppg / 7.1 apg. https://www.espn.com/blog/high-school/california/post/_/id/631/jeremy-lin-and-the-2006-all-state-team
[^8]: "All of undrafted sensation Jeremy Lin's NBA contracts," ClutchPoints. Signed Warriors July 21, 2010; waived Dec 9, 2011; Rockets Dec 12; waived again Dec 24. https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/jeremy-lin-nba-contracts
[^9]: "NBA最神奇的旋風 林書豪閃耀的那一刻," Sports Vision. Seven-game stats: 24.4 ppg, 9.1 apg, 51.2% FG. https://www.sportsv.net/articles/98923
[^10]: "林書豪經典絕殺暴龍10年了," ETtoday, 2022. Feb 14, 2012: game-winning three with 0.5 seconds left. https://sports.ettoday.net/news/2189232
[^11]: "Jeremy Lin Stats," Basketball-Reference. 480 career games, 11.6 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.8 rpg. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/linje01.html
[^12]: "NBA好像放棄我了！林書豪淚灑佈道會," United Daily News, 2019. https://udn.com/news/story/7002/3955063
[^13]: "Basketball star Jeremy Lin says he was called 'coronavirus' on court," ABC News, 2021. G League investigation launched after racial slur. https://abcnews.go.com/US/basketball-star-jeremy-lin-called-coronavirus-court-denounces/story?id=76152456
[^14]: "CBA／宣布不回首鋼 林書豪：還有一個NBA夢想," United Daily News, 2020. Signed with Beijing Ducks August 2019, $3M after-tax. https://udn.com/news/story/7003/4861400
[^15]: "新北國王為林書豪7號球衣舉辦退休儀式," Christian Tribune, 2025. Dec 28 ceremony, 6,800 fans, Jay Chou appearance. https://ct.org.tw/html/news/3-3.php?cat=10&article=1402911