NBA star Jeremy Lin learning to live without ‘the buzz’, looks forward to new challenges

After the closing two years of his glittering career felt like they belonged in a feel-good film, basketball superstar Jeremy Lin said the two weeks after his recent retirement proved “very hard”. Lin became a global phenomenon during his 2012 breakout season with the New York Knicks. Seven years later, with the Toronto Raptors, he became the first Asian-American to win an NBA title. The 37-year-old crowned his life on court by claiming the 2024 and 2025 Taiwanese titles for a New Taipei Kings team that also featured his younger brother Joseph. “Winning the two championships with my brother, and having my wife, son and parents there celebrating, felt like a script from a Disney movie,” Lin told the Post on the sidelines of the South China Morning Post’s Family Business Summit 2025. “The first championship, I felt, ‘Wow’, but to have it happen a second time – it doesn’t get better than that.” Lin, who had contemplated retirement in 2023, made “the hardest decision of my life” to call it quits in August this year. “Truthfully, the first two weeks after were really hard … I missed basketball and I still do,” Lin said. “Mostly, I miss the camaraderie and brotherhood with my teammates.” In time, Lin expected to “miss the buzz of the arena and being the entertainer”. “Often I was the most marketable player on the court, I was one of 10, but I felt like one of one because I had to bring a show,” said Lin, who was born and raised in the US to Taiwanese parents. “The expectation was different from the other nine players.” Equally, although he was happy to be released from the pressure to perform, Lin anticipated missing being in situations and environments that put his “back against the wall and forced me to rise”. “Pressure has brought a lot of anxiety in my life, but I feel I’m built for pressure; I rise to the occasion,” he added. Lin spoke candidly during his career about suffering from fear and invasive thoughts. At one point, the shame he felt over being injured left him not wanting to leave his house. “The spotlight exacerbates everything,” Lin said. “In some jobs, if you have a bad day it might be only you who knows – I had to learn to deal with everybody knowing and having a say. “You have to be secure in yourself and find the reason and purpose for what you’re doing, which is a challenge.” Lin would tell players today to “not take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from”. He acknowledged, nonetheless, that his counsel was difficult to implement: “For most people, if 99 people say good things about you, you’ll think about the one who said something bad, especially if you don’t agree with them.” To counter the extensive and incessant external commentary, Lin “drew boundaries”, which meant not reading or listening to any positive or negative coverage during a season. “If someone told me about a cool article, I might go back and look after the season,” he said. “I didn’t want to be influenced by good or bad things people were saying. I wanted to stay in a pure space, so I could be the best version of myself, for me and my team.” Becoming a father last year provided Lin with a “mirror of humility”. “You can be in a packed arena, the hero of the game with everyone cheering for you, but you go home, open the door and it’s his world,” Lin said. “Every day, I have to ask myself if I’m showing up for my family, and willing to be selfless enough to take care of my son the way he deserves. “What you do for work does not equate with who you are as a person, which is built on your values, how you interact with people every day, and how you take care of your family. “That’s much more important than how many points I scored. It doesn’t matter how good or bad things are – every time I walk in the door, he smiles and sprints towards me, and I get a hug.” Lin said “countless” people had made sacrifices for his career, but he was particularly thankful to his mum, Shirley. “She gave up pretty much everything, her finances, her dreams and her comfort zone,” Lin said. “She could have been much more successful and had opportunities in Taiwan if she didn’t have to care for three boys in a foreign country.” When Lin was applying for the NBA draft in 2010, after graduating with an economics degree from Harvard University, his mum “gave me everything left in her 401(k) account [retirement savings] to pay for my training and food costs”. “She lied and told me she’d found some money,” Lin said. “She knew I was trying to save money and wasn’t eating until I was full. “That was the level of sacrifice. I made the NBA a few months later [with Golden State Warriors], and played professionally for 15 years. Mum and Dad, you deserve whatever life you want to live.” Having successfully combined university with his development into a world-class basketball talent, Lin said he “absolutely believed” it was possible to pursue athletic and academic excellence at the same time. Despite his successful NBA career, which also included stops with the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, Lin said “we’re a long way away” from stereotypes around Asian players being dispelled. “When I was growing up, European players were boxed in as having one style, but now there are so many that people don’t think twice about everyone being different,” he added. “We need … that much infiltration into the NBA market [from Asian players], so people won’t have preconceived notions.” A 1.90-metre (6ft 3in) guard, Lin said “the world doesn’t know what to do with an Asian guard, because outside my story they think all Asian players are 6ft 9in and above … that’s a challenging stereotype”. Lin also believed the perception existed that Asian players “are not physically fierce and dominant”. “There are some very physically talented and dominant Asian players,” he added. “We just need more of them to reach the top level and shatter barriers.” Lin had planned to “relax and rest after a 15-year grind”, but he has found himself juggling an impact-investor fund and a not-for-profit foundation. His brand and his endorsement deals endure, and he is committed to “storytelling … through books, documentaries, social media and podcasts”. “Without basketball, though, nine months of the year have opened up,” he said. “I have a lot of decisions and opportunities to consider. I didn’t expect it all to come so fast.”

NBA star Jeremy Lin learning to live without ‘the buzz’, looks forward to new challenges

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Former New York Knicks star missing sport but adjusting to retirement, says inaccurate preconceptions still exist around Asian talents

Former New York Knicks star missing sport but adjusting to retirement, says inaccurate preconceptions still exist around Asian talents