Jeremy Lin: From Being Cut Twice in 15 Days to TPBL Double MVP — A Basketball Journey

30-Second Overview: Jeremy Lin, born in 1988 in California, is a ninth-generation descendant of Taiwanese immigrants. In high school, he led his team to a California state championship, yet received zero NCAA Division I scholarship offers. He attended Harvard, went undrafted, and was cut by two NBA teams within 15 days. In February 2012, coming off the bench, he averaged 24.4 points over seven straight games, igniting the "Linsanity" phenomenon.¹ In 2019, he won an NBA championship ring with the Toronto Raptors, becoming the first Asian American player to earn an NBA title.² In 2025, he retired in Taiwan as both Season MVP and Finals MVP, completing a full arc from the United States to Taiwan.³

From Beidou to Palo Alto

Jeremy Lin's ancestors moved from Zhangpu, Fujian to Beidou, Changhua, Taiwan in 1707 — he is the ninth generation.⁴ His father, Lin Jiming, graduated from National Taiwan University's Department of Mechanical Engineering and went to the U.S. on a government scholarship, earning a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue University. His mother, Wu Hsin-hsin, was born in Taiwan and met Lin Jiming at Providence University.⁵ The three sons grew up in Palo Alto, California, where their father took them to play basketball at the YMCA every day after work.⁶

As a child, few people believed an Asian kid could play professional basketball. Jeremy Lin answered with results.

State Champion, Zero Scholarships

In 2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a 32–1 record, defeating nationally ranked Mater Dei 51–47 at Arco Arena to win the California CIF Division II state championship.⁷ That year he averaged 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.0 steals per game, earning North California Division II Player of the Year honors.⁷

State champion, Player of the Year — and the number of NCAA Division I scholarship offers he received: zero.¹

No coach believed a 6'3" Asian point guard could survive at the highest level of college basketball. Lin chose Harvard — an Ivy League school that does not offer athletic scholarships. He enrolled as a self-funded student, majoring in economics.¹

Four Years at Harvard

At a school known for academics and bottom-tier basketball, Lin served as team captain and set multiple 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: in the 2010 draft, 30 teams, 60 picks — and no one called his name.⁸

15 Days, Cut Twice

On July 21, 2010, Lin signed with the Golden State Warriors as an undrafted free agent — the home team he had grown up watching. But as a rookie he saw almost no playing time, spending most of the season in the Development League.⁸

On December 9, 2011, the Warriors waived him to clear salary space. Three days later, on December 12, the Houston Rockets picked him up. Twelve days after that, on December 24, the Rockets waived him again to sign another player.⁸

Cut by two teams in 15 days. Christmas Eve, unemployed.

The New York Knicks took him in. But he was a benchwarmer at the end of the roster, sleeping on a teammate's couch, unsure whether he would still be in the city the next day.¹

Seven Games That Changed Everything

In February 2012, with the Knicks' starting point guard injured, coach Mike D'Antoni had no choice but to put Lin in the starting lineup.

What happened next, no one saw coming:⁹

Seven straight wins. Averaging 24.4 points, 9.1 assists, on 51.2% shooting.⁹

The February 10 game against the Lakers — scoring 38 points in front of Kobe Bryant — was the defining moment of Linsanity. On Valentine's Day, February 14, against the Raptors, he hit a game-winning 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 those of Kobe and LeBron.¹ From New York to Taipei, late nights in Chinese communities became communal viewing sessions. An Asian benchwarmer from Harvard, who two weeks earlier had been sleeping on a teammate's couch, became the hottest athlete on the planet.

After Linsanity

The frenzy always fades. Opponents began defending him with targeted schemes, and in March 2012, Lin suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, ending his season.¹ He went on to play for the Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, and Hawks — an NBA career spanning 480 games, averaging 11.6 points and 4.3 assists per game.¹¹ The numbers were solid, but he never again reached the heights of those seven games.

In early 2019, he joined the Toronto Raptors. He played only 27 minutes the entire postseason, and appeared for 51 seconds in Game 3 of the Finals.² But the Raptors won the 2019 championship, and Jeremy Lin became the first Asian American player to earn an NBA championship ring.

After the ring, no NBA team signed him again. He broke down in tears at a fellowship event: "The NBA seems to have given up on me."¹²

"Coronavirus"

In 2021, Lin returned to the NBA system, playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's G League affiliate. During a game, an opponent called him "coronavirus" on the court.¹³

He responded publicly: "We're tired of being asked 'where are you really from,' tired of our eyes being mocked, tired of being treated as invisible." The remarks triggered a formal G League investigation, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr voiced public support.¹³

That game condensed the entire Asian American experience during the COVID-19 era into a single slur from an opponent's mouth.

Coming Home to Taiwan

After leaving the NBA in 2019, Lin first played one season in China's CBA with the Beijing Ducks.¹⁴ In late 2022, he made a decision that shook Taiwan's basketball world: he joined the New Taipei Kings of P. League+.

In the 2023–24 season, he scored 33 points in a crucial Game 6 of the playoffs against the Formosa Dreamers, leading the Kings to their first-ever championship.³

In the 2024–25 season, the inaugural year of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL), 37-year-old Lin captured Season MVP, All-First Team, and All-Defensive First Team honors. Then in Game 7 of the Finals, he tallied 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, leading the Kings to a 108–89 victory over the Kaohsiung Aquas — becoming the first player in TPBL history to win both Season MVP and Finals MVP in the same year.³

In late August 2025, he announced his retirement. On December 28, 6,800 fans at Xinzhuang Gymnasium watched the Kings retire his No. 7 jersey. Jay Chou made a surprise appearance to pay tribute.¹⁵

An Illogical Trajectory

State champion, zero scholarships. Harvard graduate, undrafted. Cut twice in 15 days. Jersey sales surpassing Kobe's. Fifty-one seconds in the NBA Finals. Double MVP in Taiwan at age 37.

Jeremy Lin's career has never met anyone's expectations — including his own. But precisely because it defied logic, this trajectory permanently changed the answer to the question: "How far can an Asian player go?"

Further Reading:

• Kuo Hsing-chun — A Taiwanese athlete of the same generation, three-time Olympic medalist and eleven-time world record breaker in weightlifting
• Tai Tzu-ying — Another Taiwanese athlete who reached the world stage, world No. 1 in badminton
• Jay Chou — The Taiwanese music icon who appeared at Lin's jersey retirement ceremony
• Taiwan–United States Relations — Lin's identity as a Taiwanese American traces back to the post-1965 wave of Taiwanese students studying in the U.S.
• Lee Yang — Another Taiwanese athlete's career path, from Olympic gold to becoming the first Minister of Sports

References