'Trying to Run Away': Jeremy Lin on Racism & Knicks 'Linsanity'

'Linsanity' wasn't always the euphoric phenomenon it appeared to be.

In an interview with Sky Sports, former New York Knick Jeremy Lin expounded upon the darker side of his brief yet memorable rise to NBA glory. 

Lin, whose most recent professional basketball endeavors have come in China, is best known for that stretch known as "Linsanity", where he became a cultural icon when he took on an unexpectedly major role in the Knicks' fortunes in 2012. His magnum opus was a 38-point showing against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in a nationally televised victory at Madison Square Garden.

But the instant fame and celebrity took a toll on Lin, who spoke about the phenomenon's "side effects." 

"Some family issues that it caused, all the privacy that was taken away from me overnight, and the paparazzi chasing down me and my family and my friends," Lin said as he described those unwelcome aftershocks. "A lot of scary things ... had happened."

The NBA has seen its share of unexpected superstars but Lin became a cultural icon because of his Asian-American heritage. 

Lin claimed he "tried to run from being 'the Asian basketball player,'" hoping to be judged solely by his efforts on the court. When the phenomenon introduced him to both overt and subtle racism, however, he knew he couldn't stay silent, even as the weight of being such an icon caused Line to feel "like I lost my humanity."

"I just wanted people to talk about my basketball skills for once, so as I started to run from that, I started to really open my perspective, seeing what racism really does and how embedded it is and how deep it is," he said. "Culturally, I realized, this moment is much more than basketball, it's much more than that season, it is much more than just the New York Knicks and Jeremy Lin – this is a story that will be told for years and years and years and that has shattered so many stereotypes, and so many boxes that society has tried to put on minorities."

Injuries and a switch in coaching styles from Mike D'Antoni to Mike Woodson eventually ended Lin's time with the Knicks, leading him to become a tenured NBA nomad that took him to Houston, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Brooklyn, Atlanta, and Toronto. 

Though his NBA endeavors have ended for the time being (though not before he became the NBA's first Asian-American champion with the Raptors in 2019), Lin has sought to use his platform and experience as an educational opportunity. The Tribeca Film Festival served as a forum for such efforts this summer, premiering "38 at the Garden", a documentary centered upon his shining moment, namely that showdown against Bryant and the Lakers. 

"I try to tell the story in meaningful ways, beyond just trying to glorify myself for what I did on the court," Lin explained. "(I want) to really talk about what that moment meant to a lot of people and why it meant so much."

"38 at the Garden" will be available to stream on HBO Max later this fall.