All good things must come to an end, even if it appears impossible to say goodbye.
On Sunday, a former 6-foot-3 New York Knicks star and NBA champion announced his retirement at age 37.
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away,” Jeremy Lin wrote on Instagram Saturday.
“I’ve spent my 15-year career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made.”
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to compete against the fiercest competitors under the brightest lights and to challenge what the world thought was possible for someone who looks like me. I’ve lived out my wildest childhood dreams to play in front of fans all around the world. I will forever be the kid who felt fully alive every time I touched a basketball.”
“So many people have sacrificed and poured into my journey, more than I could ever repay. Thank you all for believing in me, for walking with me, for celebrating my highs and picking me up in my lows. This is a ride I never wanted to end but I know it’s time.”
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The 2012 ‘Linsanity’ run was real. Lin played out of his body with the Knicks during the latter half of the 2011-12 campaign, averaging 20.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in February.
Although the undrafted Harvard graduate still had much to prove in the big leagues, he showed he could orchestrate New York’s offense flawlessly for a brief period and make a name for himself as a second-year contributor.
Unfortunately, Lin cooled down in March, and when the Knicks decided not to bring him back for another season, the Torrance, California native signed with the James Harden-led Houston Rockets. Lin spent two seasons with Houston before officially becoming an NBA journeyman.
After competing with the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors (where he won a title alongside Kawhi Leonard), reality finally set in for Lin: his NBA career was over.
Still, Lin managed to find various overseas gigs and one G-League gig in his early to late 30s.
Most will remember Lin for his brief stint in New York, but in the grand scheme of things, the electric playmaker was a valuable role player who finished his NBA journey with a championship.
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