Long before "Linsanity" ever came to be Jeremy Lin reveals he almost quit basketball altogether in 2010 when he began to question if a short stint with the Golden State Warriors might be more about team marketing than his hoops talents.
In the documentary Linsanity that opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, Lin reveals he grew tired of all the drama born of being the first American-born-player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent to play in the league and wasn't enjoying the game much more anymore. It didn't help that he only logged 33 minutes of action that whole month for the Warriors.
"On Dec. 29, I wrote about how I actually wish I never signed with the Warriors," the Houston Rockets star recalls in the film. He added he remembers writing '"I wish I could quit basketball because I wasn't having fun."'
Lin later rose to prominence during a stretch with the Knicks the likes of which has rarely been seen in NBA circles. Along the way, his background and his story sparked a meaningful discussion about racial bias in a basketball world of which Lin is now such a significant part.
He recounts the racist taunts that were hurled his way by fans during AAU games and later during Ivy League play, insults that he's so glad are no longer a significant part of his story.
"I don't really experience anything from the players' standpoint in the NBA, like, 'Oh, he's Asian,' or whatever," Lin added in the film. "But I think you kind of have to play well in the league a little longer to really get other people to believe that you can do it."
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