Jeremy Lin exploded onto the NBA scene in February 2012 with a shocking string of high-scoring performances for the New York Knicks. His exhilarating style of play ignited the fanbase, sparking the phenomenon known as “Linsanity”. However, in subsequent years Lin failed to replicate that magical run. Despite still producing at a decent level, he bounced around to several teams before ultimately not playing in the NBA since 2019.
Many have questioned why Lin never again lived up to his superstar-level peak with New York. But an even more puzzling mystery is why the 32-year-old now finds himself completely banned from the NBA. Does his absence have anything to do with the fact that he’s an Asian-American playing in a league dominated by black players? Let’s analyze the shocking truth behind Jeremy Lin‘s NBA ban.
Racist Taunts and Insensitive Comments
As an Asian-American basketball player, Lin has dealt with racism and discrimination his entire career. According to reports, Lin was called “coronavirus” on the court by other players multiple times. Opponents also made mocking noises when he handled the ball, trying to imitate Chinese languages.
In one game early in his career, Lin actually picked up a technical foul for yelling back at racist taunts. These examples highlight the incredible prejudices Asian-American athletes may face, even once reaching the pinnacle of professional sports.
The racist jokes and bullying clearly impacted Lin’s mental state over time, affecting his focus and confidence in key moments when he needed it most. They also speak to the appalling lack of awareness around cultural sensitivity still plaguing sports. Both players and management failed to adequately discipline or address clear xenophobia and targeted harassment impacting Jeremy Lin for years.
Stats Dictated Playing Time More Than Race Initially
Very few analysts gave Lin a chance of even making it to the NBA after he went undrafted in 2010. Scouts passed on him predominantly due to the rarity of Asian-American players and prevailing physical stereotypes working against him.
However, Lin overcame being disregarded early to keep battling uphill challenges. He finally landed a professional contract in 2010 with his hometown Golden State Warriors. But even after making the roster, Lin barely saw any playing time behind guards Stephen Curry and Monte Ellis, an all-star and the team’s leading scorer respectively.
Lin averaged only 9.8 minutes in 29 appearances his rookie season. With the Warriors loaded backcourt, Lin understandably couldn’t crack the rotation his first two seasons strictly due to depth chart order. Starters minutes went to Ellis and Curry as long as they produced. Lin had to pay his dues like most rookies by waiting his turn on the bench.
But in another blow to gaining experience, the 2011 NBA lockout robbed Lin of Summer League and normal training camp opportunities before his second season. As a young developing prospect, missing out on those invaluable reps stalled his growth even further.
Sparked Linsanity Phenomenon After Finally Receiving NBA Opportunity
Based on skills alone in limited minutes, many still argue Lin deserved more playing time during his first two NBA seasons. But it took until the New York Knicks dealt with major injuries in February 2012 for him to finally prove himself on a global scale. With starters sidelined, Lin received 36 minutes off the bench versus the Nets and dropped an eye-popping 25 points.
Even more shockingly, the very next game Lin earned his first NBA start against the Utah Jazz. On national TV, in front of a packed shocked Madison Square Garden crowd hungry for a spark, he lit up Utah for 28 points and 8 assists.
What followed was a legendary 12-game stretch of mesmerizing scoring performances, including a 38 point explosion against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. Jeremy Lin became an overnight sensation seemingly out of thin air. His spirited, relentless style of play captivated fans and ignited the previously struggling 21-21 Knicks into real playoff contenders again.
Seemingly overnight, his exhilarating performances made him a global icon. “Linsanity” gripped not just New York but also Asian and Asian-American communities everywhere hungry for representation. No one could have scripted a better underdog tale of an overlooked Asian American underdog becoming an NBA superstar lightning in a bottle. But sadly, just as quickly as Linsanity launched to stratospheric levels, it soon stalled out again.
Recurring Injuries Halted Building Momentum
As amazing as that instant star turn seemed initially, Lin failed to sustain that success across a full season in New York or later stops. A recurring theme throughout his up-and-down career became failing to build momentum before ill-timed injuries struck him down.
Linsanity powered on magically for two months in New York before a devastating meniscus tear abruptly ended his storybook season. Despite not receiving consistent starters minutes all year, at the time of his shutdown, Lin was still averaging an extremely impressive 18.5 points, 7.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Projecting just his 24 games as a starter over a full 82 game season, he was on pace to deliver astronomical shooting lines of 21.4 points and 9.2 assists per contest. Even just an extra 10 games at that clip could have vaulted him into All-Star consideration. Unfortunately, just as Lin was bringing the buzz back to the Knicks franchise, injury sabotaged all momentum.
| Season | Team | Games | Minutes | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | NYK | 35 | 32.2 | 14.6 | 6.2 | 3.1 |
| 2013 | HOU | 82 | 33.2 | 13.4 | 6.1 | 3.0 |
| 2013 | LAL | 17 | 28.3 | 14.5 | 4.1 | 2.6 |
| 2016 | CHO | 26 | 26.3 | 11.7 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| 2017 | BKN | 36 | 24.5 | 14.5 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| 2018 | ATL | 51 | 25.4 | 10.7 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| 2019 | TOR | 23 | 19.4 | 9.6 | 3.1 | 2.2 |
Per 36 minutes stats showing surprising consistency year-to-year
Later that year after signing a generous $25 million offer sheet from Houston, Lin shifted to Texas expecting to fill a starting role. But despite the big contract, Houston quickly acquired superstar James Harden and Lin never truly found his footing there long-term.
Harden dominated the ball and Houston’s offense mostly centered around accentuating his strengths rather than Lin‘s uptempo transition style. Their skills and styles never fully meshed, leading to friction and role uncertainty. More roster shuffling between four other teams unfortunately typecast Lin as a sparkplug backup before injuries repeatedly dashed his building momentum again and again.
Overperforming in Limited Opportunities
Sporadically throughout his turbulent career, Lin did actually shine in limited minutes once again. But these flashes of excellence prompted by injuries ahead of him failed to result in him sticking long term or climbing back up the depth chart once again.
Notable examples demonstrating Lin‘s latent potential despite uneven roles included:
November 2016: After signing with the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets, Lin averaged 21.4 points on 47% shooting in his first month in action. His sizzling early play boosted the Nets to a surprising 5-7 start before a critical hamstring injury sidelined Lin for nearly half the season. Of note, the team went just 7-34 the rest of the year without their catalyst.
October 2018: Jeremy Lin burst out the gates quickly again with his new club, the Atlanta Hawks. With starter Trae Young injured, Lin poured in 20.7 points including 29 in the season opener and 25 two games later. Once the prized rookie returned, Lin unsurprisingly saw his minutes slashed again.
January 2019: After a trade to Toronto, Lin languished near the end of the Raptors‘ bench through their first 30 games. But pressed into duty by star Kyle Lowery taking rest games, Lin showed out again, scoring 20+ points in 2 of 3 opportunities. But yet again, his mini-run didn‘t translate to a consistent role.
These spirited flashes as an injury plug illustrated Lin always stepped up whenbrief chances arose. But time and time again, external factors conspired to cut short building momentum.
Whether due to recurring health issues or high-profile rookies returning to favored status, Lin frequently got the short end of the stick. Once seen as a serviceable starter after Linsanity, he now found himself traveling team to team annually just to compete for 15-20 bench minutes per night.
Perceived Biases Robbing Him of Roster Spots and Minutes
After his final uneventful NBA appearance with Toronto in 2019, most analysts assumed Lin would continue latching onto rosters as a veteran backup point guard. Despite career ups and downs, he still produced respectable counting stats including 11.6 points and 4.3 assists in nearly 500 career games .
But surprisingly, over the past three years no NBA franchise has signed Jeremy Lin once his Toronto contract ended. Frequently injured but similarly talented players like Ricky Rubio, Malcolm Brogdon and George Hill secured deals during that same stretch.
The obvious difference between Lin and dozens of 12th men filling out depth charts every season? His Asian heritage and international background. After all, talent evaluators often carry subconscious racial biases impacting assessments of which players “look the part”. Their traditional notions of size, muscle tone and vertical leap favor American-born backcourt players.
Coupled with underlying xenophobia pervasive in many NBA coaching staffs, these backwards evaluate tendencies seem to have unfairly barred Lin from even competing for a roster spot these past few years.
Former NBA executive Bobby Marks told HoopsHype he was stunned nobody signed Lin again as a third point guard, saying: "It‘s head-scratching to be honest. Jeremy should have no problem getting a job as a backup point guard in the NBA.”
Succeeding Against Inferior Competition Overseas
Clearly Jeremy Lin doesn’t actually lack the raw skills or competitive drive to continue contributing at a professional level. After going unsigned by every NBA club in 2020, he secured a max contract deal joining the Chinese Basketball Association.
As one of the biggest Asian celebrities on the planet, Lin held massive marketing appeal for the Beijing Ducks. Happy to be featured as the star attraction, he fully embraced his new opportunity across the Pacific.
Jeremy Lin dominated the Chinese league as most expected against inferior competition compared to the world‘s top league. After shaking off some initial rust, he asserted his excellence by finishing his 2020-21 CBA season with averages of 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals.
Lin shot an ultra-efficient 49.3% from the field, including hitting over 40% of his 3-point attempts. He took on a massive offensive burden, averaging 18.9 field goal attempts and 8.3 free throws a game. His 32.0 player impact estimate ranked among the CBA‘s five best talents. Jeremy Lin concluded his dominant campaign as a CBA All-Star, leader in steals, minutes and clutch scoring, and a league champion.
Seeking a route back to the big stage, in 2022 Lin signed to play stateside again with Golden State‘s developmental G League affiliate team. Expected to provide veteran leadership guiding Santa Cruz‘s young roster, he is refining his skills back under the Warriors umbrella.
Lin hasn‘t missed a beat so far this G League season either, pouring in 18.9 points and 6.4 assists in 32 minutes a night across 15 contests. His 51.5% shooting efforts and 41.9% from downtown demonstrate a polished, multi-faceted scoring arsenal ready to deliver buckets consistently against any level of defender.
Watching Lin dominate lesser professional leagues repeatedly begs the maddening question — what more does he need to prove to warrant just one final NBA opportunity?
International Players Denied Fair Opportunities
As basketball’s global popularity skyrockets exponentially in recent decades, the corresponding emergence of foreign-born talent infiltrating NBA rosters intensified. International standouts like Giannis Antetokounmpo now regularly stock MVP ballots and All-Star rosters. The stigma behind overseas players possibly lacking athleticism or necessary size for elite competition faded.
Yet despite the world rapidly shrinking closer through globalization, the Asian continent remains largely left behind. Players boasting Jeremy Lin‘s Chinese, Japanese or Filipino heritage cannot catch a break cracking the traditional fraternity of NBA decision-makers. The Chinese Basketball Association boasts over 300 million passionate followers as the NBA‘s most fertile potential growth market, estimated by some to soon overtake American popularity. But its domestic stars seem permanently disregarded in scouting circles locked into narrow ways of thinking.
Where are the opportunities and roster spots for international basketball stars to prove themselves? The reality suggests deeply-rooted xenophobia likely permeates many NBA front offices, consciously or not. This inherent bias unfairly hinders non-American talent like Jeremy Lin seeking a seat at the table.
Often these evaluators cling tightly to traditional western notions of size, speed and style favoring American-born prospects over equally talented international candidates. Excluding Asian ancestry, just eight players across the entire league were born in China — many likely with dual citizenship after growing up stateside.
No matter his impressive stats and accomplishments abroad, Lin faces blatant double standards for acceptance relative to American journeymen like Gary Payton Jr, Kendrick Nunn and Dennis Shroder bouncing between benches each season.
The burden of proof for consistency and excellence required for Lin to secure one final NBA deal dwarfs far lower expectation bars set for replacement level domestic talent pool filler season after season.
Unfulfilled Potential Stunted By Implicit Biases
One cannot compare Jeremy Lin‘s plight directly equals to other all-time great NBA stars weighed down by prejudice like Chinese legend Yao Ming. The towering 7-foot-6 superstar pioneered basketball’s modern globalization efforts bridging the Pacific rim to Houston. Yet even burdened by strict minute limits attempting to save his feet and ankles, Yao shone brightly in spurts when health allowed.
Injuries ultimately cut his transcendent career short well before his prime, leaving fans forever wondering “What if his body held up?”. Though nowhere near Yao‘s Hall of Fame ceiling, Lin did turn heads with absolute world-beater performances during the unforgettable Linsanity stretch of action delivering on heavy usage and opportunity.
Critics shouting for Jeremy Lin to simply prove himself digitually ignore flash after flash of resounding evidence in favor of clinging to stereotypes. They selectively forget opportunity French Kissing him briefly before the sport’s inherent cruel physical taxation shattered the dream all over again via injuries. They purposefully gloss over persistent numbers suggesting far more runway left to fly at a reasonably difference-making level.
Jeremy Lin dominating inferior competition in his early 30s should surprise no one. Watch his speed and athleticism burst off the screen during extensive minutes and high usage. Yet doubters forever obsessed with isolation tunnel vision wrongly diminish his present skills by clinging to past washed glory.
They ignore telling indicators like erupting when granted the touches and freedom to redirect the ball on his terms. Lin has absolutely earned the right to showcase his complete game one final time as primary handler and offensive fulcrum. If only close-minded executives empowered by generational privilege could envision a present painting rather than past reputation or public perception.
With nearly triple the lifetime earnings of overpaid replacement level scrubs, does Jeremy Lin’s quest to author a proud final career chapter truly boil down to greed or validation? His talents deserve far greater respect, patience and self-awareness than knee-jerk social constructs allow.
Until basketball decision-makers at all levels acknowledge and address unjust perceptions unfairly impeding the path for minority difference-making talents like Jeremy Lin, many more will fail to receive their fair shake. Systemic doors must open wider to progress beyond long-held stigmas stunting hopes and dreams before they blossom.
Wherever Jeremy Lin takes the court next season, true hoops fans hope evaluators finally allow skill and will dictating opportunity on merit rather than marketability and misguided bias. The modern NBA lacks enough courageous offensively creative forces bending competitive arcs to their values without fear . Rather than tragically underutilizing all facets of Lin’s dynamic game for perceived "right reasons", we must demand better outcomes reflecting society‘s growing calls for open-mindedness and inclusion permeating the sports world sooner than later.