Dialogue · Jeremy Lin
Interview episode | Basketball Player Jeremy Lin
Below is an interview summary
into NBA I wanted to give up
△ Jeremy Lin 3
At the end of August, we met Jeremy Lin in Guangzhou. He has just finished his city trip to China's Nine Heavens and Five Cities and met and interacted with fans from all over the world. Guangzhou is the last stop.
About half a year ago, because we paid attention to the news that he and the Haoqun Charity Foundation he participated in donating nearly 300 basketball courts to rural areas in China, we contacted Jeremy Lin’s team. Due to complex factors such as the ups and downs of the epidemic, this rare meeting was not until half a year later.
Tanchuan: I saw that you tied your legs with a spring belt as soon as you got on the car. Why is this? Jeremy Lin is the first Chinese-American player in NBA history. In 2012, Jeremy Lin, 23, became famous in the NBA almost overnight because of his outstanding record on the field. The Chinese-American face, who is at the key to the team, instantly became the protagonist of the court from an unknown substitute, which caused a lot of sensation in the United States at that time. People even invented the English word "Linsanity" for his invincible state on the field, which means "Linsanity".
Jeremy Lin: Because my hips are injured, my hips will be tighter when I sit normally, and my waist will have to bear more force.
Tanchuan: So, the injury to your knees and the injury to your hips will have a greater impact on you?
Jeremy Lin: , because my injuries are not minor injuries.
Tankawa: I just saw that you had many scars on your arm. Did you get caught while playing basketball?
Jeremy Lin: pair. When playing basketball, there will be physical confrontation, so there must be some injuries.
Tankawa: When did I first feel like playing basketball?
Jeremy Lin: I can’t remember anymore. I have been playing basketball with my dad and my brother since I was a child. The story that impressed me the most was when I was in the third and fourth grades. My brother and I were in the same basketball team. We won a championship at that time, and we won 30 or 40 points in each game, which was much better than the second place. Later, the league leaders forced my brother and I to switch to the last team, and I felt it was unfair, why did we do this? Later we made the last team first and defeated the team we were in before. From then on, I felt that I should not try my best if I think I already know the result, but I should do my best to do it. I will never forget this story of , it was the first very good experience I had on the court.
In August, Jeremy Lin just celebrated his 34th birthday. Jeremy Lin was born in California, USA in 1988. He has three brothers in his family and he ranks second. After graduating from university, his father Lin Jiming graduated from Taiwan University in 1977 and went to the United States to study. He then stayed in the United States to pursue his doctorate degree and met Jeremy Lin's mother.
Jeremy Lin's ancestors were born in Fujian and Zhejiang, and his parents were born in Taiwan, and his generation was born in the United States. Even though the family's life footprints span most of the earth, the Chinese's diligent and studious character can still be seen in Jeremy Lin's family.
Tanchuan: I heard you say that when you were a child, your parents would help you get some opportunities, but they would be scolded. Why is this?
Jeremy Lin: My dad and my mom are very interesting. When my dad was 5 years old, my grandfather passed away, so a lot of pressure was put on the child. My dad actually has many hobbies, but because his family doesn’t have much money, they all rely on learning to change their destiny. He studied in the university of Taiwan as the first institution of learning, and then went to study in the United States, getting two master's degrees and one doctoral degree. So my dad felt that he couldn't go his own way.
Then the same is true for my mother. My grandmother has always asked her to only focus on her studies and hoped that she would become a doctor. Because my grandmother is a very good doctor, my mother felt that her dream had not been achieved. Both of them had the same idea. So as long as I, my brother, and my brother are interested, they will let us contact us. Every year, family travel is determined according to the location and time of our playing ball. But their friends will tell them that you are wasting time and money. Then suddenly I entered , Harvard because of playing basketball, and their friends' ideas changed. Is it possible for my children to enter Harvard through any sports?
So although parents spent a lot of money and time to educate us, they were criticized for this, but they still gave us the opportunity to pursue our dreams. △Jeho Lin (fourth from left) took a photo with his family
Tanchuan: Apart from basketball, did you try anything else when you were a child?
Jeremy Lin: I have participated in everything, including tennis, table tennis, swimming, football, badminton in sports, and I also learned how to draw, piano, violin , drumming, recorder , guitar... Because I wanted to be a dentist at that time, I also learned. I also learned Chinese, as well as emergency medical care, ceramics, dancing... , any content I am interested in, my parents said, "I will ask you to take a class at least." Many times, I learn a class for a week or a month, and I feel that I don’t like it that much, and they say that this is also a good thing. They don't think they are wasting time or money.
Takawa: But you have always been obsessed with basketball, and you have never been interested in it and don’t want to play it?
Jeremy Lin: pair, never before. My dad loves basketball so much. He said without jokingly that my dad, my brother, and my brother, have to play at least two hours a day, sometimes they can play for five or six hours, and they will forget what time they are. Suddenly it was dark, and when I got home, my mother would keep scolding us, saying that I had cooked supper and the food was already cold. Where have you been? Then I scolded my dad, why do you come back so late... We will say sorry, we forgot the time. This is why our family has a very good relationship because we have a common hobby. So basketball is not just a sport, it is also a way to gather, and everyone can play together. When he graduated from high school, Jeremy Lin was the best player of the year in the second division of Northern California, and the first team player of the California high school league. Even with such outstanding results, Jeremy Lin wanted to join the famous basketball school team. In the end, the only college admission letter he received to become a member of the basketball school team , from Harvard. In 2006, Jeremy Lin entered Harvard to major in economics and a minor in sociology.
The appearance of Jeremy Lin broke various stereotypes . For example, some people say that an excellent university league player like him cannot have good development in the NBA. As a point guard, Jeremy Lin is the organizer and leader of the team's offense. It is extremely rare for Asian faces to play this role in the NBA. It is precisely because of the stereotype that before becoming the "Lin Crazy" in the arena, Jeremy Lin had extremely difficult paths in the NBA.
Tanchuan: The requirement that my mother gave you is that you must study first and then play basketball. Will this put pressure on you?
Jeremy Lin: has a lot of pressure because I have to get Quanyou. My mother is the strictest to me. When she was a child, she didn't understand and thought she didn't like me. If she gets a B, she will say that if she still has B next week, she will not be able to play basketball.
Tanchuan: What would you do?
Jeremy Lin: I think my mother hates it so much. Can’t even have a B? Why do you keep doing this? Then I said yes, then I will do my best to study. I didn't understand it at that time, but I am very moved now. because the limit she saw me was higher than what I saw myself, I think this also represents a kind of love.
Jeremy Lin: I wanted to give up in the first year of entering NBA Development League .
Tanchuan: Why?
Jeremy Lin: is too difficult, and I feel that my ability is not good enough. At that time, I lived in a very bad hotel. My family drove over to stay with me for several hours a day, just in a small room. I feel miserable after practicing football every day. My parents will keep playing mahjong, watching movies, and taking me to dinner... They have always encouraged me, but I really want to give up. By the second year, I called the agent and said I would not call. I had taken all my clothes away and asked them to cut me down. I didn't want to call anymore. family kept telling me that you can’t give up like this, it’s very unprofessional and you have to go back to practice football. I put all the things back in embarrassment and went to practice football.
Tankawa: What happened to that made you determined to give up your career that you love so much?
Jeremy Lin: I think it’s really hard for people with yellow skin to play basketball in the United States . No matter how good you play, they don't believe it. If you play well, they say I want to see the second time, and if I play well, they say I want to see the third time. But when others fight well, they say you think he is so good, and we want to give him more opportunities. It's very unfair. They will not say that Shu Hao plays well, but that their opponents play poorly, so they will not say that they will not say good things about me. When I was in high school, I won the championship, was California Player of the Year, and got the MVP, but no university was willing to give me a scholarship. When I reached a point, I felt that I was annoyed.
Tankawa: is a great mental torture.
Jeremy Lin: Yes. I have always been to this day by relying on my family and best friends around me. has no such people around me, so I have given up long ago. Everyone said that I have always insisted and never gave up, but I know that the actual situation is that many times I want to give up, but the people next to me don’t let me give up. This is also why I can still be a professional player today.
Before the game, the pressure was so high that I was lying on the bed that I kept shaking
Last year, Jeremy Lin became the ambassador of United Nations Children's Fund . In addition to basketball, charity is the top priority of Jeremy Lin’s work. Since 2013, he has successively launched several public welfare projects in the United States and China. The Haoqun Charity Foundation, which he participated in and initiated, spent four years donating and building nearly 300 basketball courts in rural China, with more than 400,000 beneficiaries. In addition, the "Three Distractions" charity project he initiated is intended to help migrant children and left-behind children to solve problems encountered in life.
△The basketball court donated by the Haoqun Charity Foundation initiated by Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin: Last year I got new crown and was isolated for three months. During this period, I read three books, all about migrant children and left-behind children. I read their stories, then took notes, summarized them, and put them in an article. I shared the article with my team and told them that this is what I am reading now, and that is what I think we should do, and their stories have affected me. Because in the United States, people with yellow skin may not have a stage to express themselves or express themselves. The same was true when I was a child. Everyone looked down on me behind my back. Sometimes I didn’t even give me the chance to play, so I could only watch it next to the stadium. Only when I say that I should be able to play this rule can I have a chance to play. I think the same is true for these mobile children and left-behind children. I hope they can ignore the voices outside and focus on their own affairs.
70% of the children in China come from rural areas. For these children, they will face difficulties when entering the city. When parents go out to work and they become left-behind children, they will encounter difficulties. Because of this, they lack the ways, opportunities and resources to build a complete self. I can't suddenly change the lives of so many kids, but if I could have a very small role, I think it would make sense. I told my team that we must do a good job in charity.I hope it can help the next generation of kids and give them the chance to reach their cap. So I think my motivation for playing basketball now is different from before, becoming deeper and wider.
For Jeremy Lin, he is not just about donating money, he is more concerned about how to truly solve the problem. Being in a high-pressure environment in the NBA for a long time has made Jeremy Lin pay special attention to the issues of mental health. He said that donating a basketball court allows children to have the opportunity to feel basketball and get in touch with basketball is just the first step. What he really wants to reach is to use basketball to help the next generation of children shape a healthier psychological environment.
Tankawa: You are the UNICEF charity ambassador. Including the charity you do, you will pay attention to the mental health problems of children. Is this related to your growth experience and career? The career environment that Jeremy Lin faces is particularly fierce. The NBA is the top stage for basketball players all over the world, and at the same time, it also has the cruelest competition. Although Jeremy Lin was very popular there, his life was not easy. Due to physical injuries, he began his wandering journey in the NBA. From 2012 to 2019, in 7 years, he has been involved in 8 basketball teams. The mobile state of changing jobs almost every year has also added a lot of tragic color to Jeremy Lin's basketball story.
Jeremy Lin: Mental health is a very important thing for me. Sometimes before the game, I couldn’t stand up straight because of a lot of pressure, and needed to lie on the bed, and then my body kept shaking . Then I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and kept having nightmares. I hope it can reduce everyone's prejudice against mental illness. Why does it mean that you have a big problem? Sometimes I just want to make my body healthier.
I think the mental health of the next generation is very important. After the epidemic, in the United States and China, we talked to many teachers or government officials about the biggest challenge of the next generation of children. Many of them said that they are not confident and mentally unhealthy. So I think it makes sense to do this with UNICEF.
△Jeur Lin
In 2019, Jeremy Lin temporarily left the NBA and signed with Beijing Shougang Basketball Club , and began to compete in CBA-China Professional Basketball League. In 2020, Jeremy Lin tried to return to the NBA but failed. In 2021, he returned to the CBA again, but what followed was infection with the new crown and termination of the contract with Shougang. Faced with the successive blows from the NBA and the CBA, even Jeremy Lin himself said that this was the lowest year he had in his more than ten years of playing basketball.
Tanchuan: When you feel uncomfortable, who will you ask for to talk to?
Jeremy Lin: tell my brother.
Tankawa: What was the reason for the last time I talked to him?
Jeremy Lin: I have played for 12 years. Last year was the worst year I played on the court, and the most heartbreaking and saddest year under the court. I got the COVID-19 pandemic and was isolated for three months and lost 20 pounds. Everyone was calling me too old and too much. But I've experienced all these, so it's fine. But what happened under the court and I didn’t say anything, I felt that it made me sadder than what was on the court.
I spent three and a half months in California this year. In the first week I got home, I told my brother, "Brother, I am really heartbroken now. I feel like I have nothing left. I need to use this time to recover." He is actually very busy, but I said I need you to leave some time for me every week. Finally, we agreed that there must be a meal every week for both of us to eat together, and one night for us to play our favorite electric game together. My sister-in-law kept laughing at me. You and my husband have three dates a week, and I only have one date a week. How did this happen? also felt that I had completely changed my life in the past three and a half months, and many of the challenges and difficulties that emerged last year have passed.
Shortly after we met, Jeremy Lin announced the signing of Guangzhou Dragon Lion Basketball Club to continue the journey of the Chinese Professional Basketball League.
Tankawa: Do you still want to go back to the NBA to play basketball?
Jeremy Lin: I think this opportunity has passed, I have gone back to prove myself, I am the player with the highest data and the best team performance, but this is not enough. So I think it's OK. Since God has arranged this path for me, I will take this path. There is no NBA now, but I still have a chance to play. I always say that I really want to play in the CBA, and now I have the opportunity to play in the CBA and play in front of Chinese fans. I think it is a very good thing. It is my honor to be here to play basketball, it is really fun.
Tanchuan: Will do charity bring you a sense of happiness and value of existence?
Jeremy Lin: I think when a person feels love, he will pass on love to others. When you don’t have love, it’s like a car that can’t leave without oil. I think this is a very basic thing in life. We must help the next generation, and the next generation will help the next generation. This is also life.
|Special thanks|
Guangdong Shuhao Liqun Sports Career Charity Foundation
Guangzhou Haoqun Tianxia Sports Culture Industry Co., Ltd.
|Special support|
|Special support|
|Special support|
Dalian Perfect Star Culture Media Co., Ltd.
Producer: Zhang Yan
Director: Yifan
Editor: 612
Editor: 612
