For all of you that are following the amazing story of Jeremy Lin…the current point guard phenom for the New York Knicks…here are some facts. Hopefully, after you read through this you’ll understand that there is no such thing as an overnight success…
High School career-
-Led his High School team to a 32-1 record his senior year and won the State Championship in California
-First team All-State selection
-Northern California Player of the Year in 2006
RESULT = Minimal college interest and NO SCHOLARSHIP!
What did he do? PERSIST!!
College Career-
-Walk-on player at Harvard
-Sophomore year – starting guard and selected All-Ivy League second team.
-Junior year- All-Ivy League FIRST TEAM selection
-Led his teams to wins over 17th ranked Boston College and #1 ranked North Carolina
-Senior year- averaged 16.4 pts./ 4.4 rebounds/ 4.5 assists/ 2.4 steals/ 1.1 blocked shots
-Finalist for the John Wooden award and Bob Cousy award
-ESPN’s 12 most versatile players in College basketball
-First player in Ivy League history to finish his career with at least 1450 pts./ 450 rebounds/ 400 assists/ 200 steals
- Graduated with a degree in Economics in 2010
RESULT = 2010 Draft UNDRAFTED…minimal interest from pro teams
What did he do? PERSIST!
NBA Career -
-8 teams allowed him to come to pre-draft workouts
-Dallas Mavericks let him play in the summer league with the team
-Signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Golden State Warriors following summer league play
-On roster for first game, but listed as “inactive”
-3 times demoted to Warriors D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns
-His Warriors coach said he kept him in the D-League because “he’s a minimum, inexpensive asset. You need to look at him as developing…is he going to be a Superstar? NO!”
-Jeremy’s response – “part of being on a team is putting your ego aside…”
-December 9, 2011- waived on the first day of training camp (60 days away from $800,000 guaranteed contract)
-Claimed off waivers by the Houston Rockets – waived before start of season.
-January 17th, 2013 – claimed off waivers by the New York Knicks and immediately sent to the D-League Erie Bay Hawks.
-January 20th, 2012 – Due to injuries to Knicks starters, Lin is brought in to a starting lineup in his first NBA game.
RESULT = 25pts./5 rebounds/ 7 assists and a win over the New Jersey Nets
Second NBA game = 28pts./ 8 assists and a win over the Utah Jazz
Third NBA game = 38pts./ 7 assists and a win over the L.A. Lakers outscoring All-Star Kobe Bryant by 4 pts.
Fourth NBA game = 20 pts./ 8 assists and a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves
Fith NBA game = 27 pts./ 11 assists and a game winning 3-point shot against the Toronto Raptors!!
-Currently has scored more points in his first 5 NBA starts than ANY player in NBA history since the merger…just AHEAD of Shaquille O’neil!
Here is what Kobe Bryant had to say about Lin after the Knicks beat the Lakers and Lin had a career high 38 pts…”When a player is playing that well, he doesn’t just come out of nowhere…it just seems like it. Go back and take a look at where he’s been…”
Here’s the deal…Jeremy Lin is no overnight success. He is a talented, tenacious, hard-working professional basketball player that was overlooked because of his size, and over-all athletic ability. Nobody knew the size of his heart nor understood his mastery of the game. Because he never gave up, and he continued to work hard and prepare, he was ready when his opportunity came. PERSIST!!
Click here to watch Lin’s last second game winning 3-point shot against the Toronto Raptors… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkkgsvfDgfM
That is the definition of Dream, Struggle, Victory. Great post Chuck.
Exactly Scott!! By the way, check out Jeremy’s twitter @jlin7 profile pic at (www.twitter.com/@jlin7). He is a Christian and he said he wants to use this “miracle from God” as a platform to make a difference off the court like Tim Tebow has done.
I love this guy!
About Jeremy:
Perfectly describing his own journey thus far, he cited Romans 5:3-5, which read: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
“The Bible talks a lot about how God takes bad situations and tough situations and he teaches us and he uses those times of suffering to draw us closer to him and that’s what I try to focus on during those times,” Lin said during an interview with GoodTV, a Taiwanese evangelical Christian channel.
“For me, when I get knocked down, I really try to get back up and go at it again. I don’t like to give up.”