RealGM

In an Instagram post, Jeremy Lin announced his retirement from playing basketball. Lin wrote:

"As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away. I’ve spent my 15-year career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made.

It's been the honor of a lifetime to compete against the fiercest competitors under the brightest lights and to challenge what the world thought was possible for someone who looks like me. I've lived out my wildest childhood dreams to play in front of fans all around the world. I will forever be the kid who felt fully alive every time I touched a basketball.

So many people have sacrificed and poured into my journey, more than I could ever repay. Thank you all for believing in me, for walking with me, for celebrating my highs and picking me up in my lows. This is a ride I never wanted to end but I know it’s time. I will forever miss playing basketball in front of you all, but our time will go beyond just playing. Here’s to what’s ahead.

Love you all"

Lin played for nine seasons in the NBA. He started his career with the Golden State Warriors before enjoying a breakout season with the New York Knicks. Lin then played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors.

Lin went on to play for teams in China and Taiwan over the last several years.

Via RealGM Staff Report

Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Well said

[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

You don’t get it, it’s okay.

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

And China is a major market that has more influence than you might suspect. Lin was nothing more than a journeyman who stuck in the league because of his race. A bum by any other standard

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Sincerely yours,
Leremy Jin

Linsanity! It was fun while it lasted.

I had forgot he was a Laker! Even after reading it, I foggily remember it...

Hey, good on the guy for making a name for himself, and pulling out a 15 year career. There's no reason to take anything away from that. But for the people saying he "changed the game forever"....I would just say that the world is too full of hyperbole these days, and it lessens the truth. The word amazing, and great and evil, and yes I'll say it: dictator have all lost their meaning and bite, thanks to everyone just going to the top shelf with their language these days.

Lin was a semi-decent player. Period. He averaged 12points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds a game.....so let's just acknowledge it for what it was. Those aren't horrible stats, but they certainly aren't historic either. Nothing changed because of him. There was this 6 to 8ish week period where he took the game by storm....helped tremendously by it A) being in NY and B) the "shattered glass ceiling" affect places like ESPN can't get enough of.

And let's give him that due. It was a huge story. He handled it well, and with class. He certainly took that team by the bootstraps and strung together some great wins.....but much like the Tim Tebow sensation....it was just that. A sensation. And after it died down, he was just a "guy" in the NBA.

Good for him for his career, and believing in himself. I'm sure he's rich as hell, and had a dream-filled 15 years in the NBA. I wish him the best. But no....the NBA will certainly go on like nothing happened. Besides forgetting he was a Laker, I honestly hadn't thought of him, or said that name in prob a good 4-5 years.

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

1) Jeremy Lin was absolutely just OK.
2) Linsanity was so fun. I loved every minute!
3) It had nothing to do with Race or Faith. It was 100% about basketball.

The real story is that D'Antoni was the HC. He was trying to instill the pace and space offense that had already started to change the league, but Melo was a ball stopper and Amare' was hobbled. They wouldn't/couldn't run the system and the NYK started the season 6-15. On February 4th Amare got hurt and Lin finished with 25/7. In the following game Lin got his first start and Melo went down 5 minutes in. The team went on a 7-0 run and were 16-16 when Melo returned. Melo immediately put the kibosh on the system and Linsanity was over.

So much of Linsanity was about System>Star. For many people it might have been just about Jeremy Lin, but for those of us with a wider view, it was about teamwork and playing your role. Jeremy Lin was just OK, but he was a smart basketball player that understood his role. He only flourished when all the players around him were willing and able to fulfill their respective roles as well. This is so rare in the NBA.

Double Bubble wrote:

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

And China is a major market that has more influence than you might suspect. Lin was nothing more than a journeyman who stuck in the league because of his race. A bum by any other standard

lin has nothing to do with the china market. lin is an asian american, and taiwanese, no less. china would not prop him up the way they did with yao. Lin was a journeyman because teams believed he could be the PG to their franchise that had a dominant SG (lakers, houston). he flourished when he had the ball (charlotte, brooklyn, knicks). he wasnt good when he couldnt be primary ball handler. he actually got shorter stint in the league because of his race. more average guys stuck around longer than him. after his run with the raptors, the league was done with him. the league was done with him after 2 months of poor play where he was a deadline acquisition and came off the bench on a championship squad where he played garbage time and 8-10 mpg. pretty sure many black players would've stuck around longer than that given his track record.

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

What did you accomplish in life? He became a knicks legend forever in only seven games. You brought up race in the first place. So gtfo mane

The Knicks caught lightning in a bottle with Jeremy Lin. It was a fun ride, thanks for the memories.

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

He was a flash in the pan. Nothing more.

Just a Jeremy I used to know...

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

Exactly.

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

I'm sorry, but top ambassador is a stretch and wildly disrespectful.

Yacky wrote:

ReddOktober wrote:[/x]

Roy T wrote:Jeremy Lin was not just a basketball player – he was a phenomenon. A GREAT ambassador for the game. Truly great.

Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody believed a kid from Harvard, undrafted, could walk into Madison Square Garden and set the world on fire. But Jeremy Lin did it. He proved them wrong – every single one of them. And when “Linsanity” happened, it wasn’t just basketball. It was history.

He showed millions of young people across the globe that dreams don’t care where you come from, what you look like, or what people say about you. He inspired Asia. He inspired America. He inspired the world. People who never watched basketball before watched because of him. Stadiums sold out. Jerseys sold out. He made basketball BIGGER.

And here’s the truth: you can’t fake that. You can’t buy that. That’s real. That’s heart, discipline, and faith. Jeremy Lin carried himself with dignity, humility, and confidence – all at once. Very rare. Very special.

He will always be remembered as one of the top ambassadors the game has ever seen. Maybe the best. Because he didn’t just play basketball – he changed it. Forever.

Oh brother. Stop it lol. he was ok. you only pumping it up cause he’s asian. take race out of it and he’s not even a top 1000 player in nba history. he’s a great guy with a cool story but that’s it. you talking like this guy was Jackie Robinson or something. He wasn’t even the first asian player to play.

You don’t get it, it’s okay.

Basically sarcasm I am hoping but I mean its like ppl cheering and buying bronnys gear. Lin it was cause he was Asian bronny because he is lebrons son.. Defo lin was better but he really was average..

He played for 8 teams in 9 years, mostly coming off the bench. He was certainly not an exceptional talent, but he played with a great passion for the game. He’s been out of the NBA since 2019, but he just retired from basketball. It’s hard not to like the guy.