17 Lin-sane facts about Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks puts in an early basket against the Sacramento Kings. (Feb. 15, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
1. Of the four YouTube videos he's posted, one is a humor video listing "five basic steps" to get accepted into Harvard, including tips such as wear big glasses, play an instrument and stretch fingers before tests.
2. His Facebook post on Jan. 4, one month before his breakout game with the Knicks: "Every time i try to get into Madison Square Garden, the security guards ask me if im a trainer LOL"
3. "A lot of people don't know I failed my first driver's test," he says in another online video. "I was driving 15 miles per hour because I thought that's what the residential speed limit was. Who fails a driving test for going too slow? It's embarrassing."
4. His favorite postgame meal is two double-doubles and fries from In-N-Out Burger, a West Coast hamburger chain.
5. His younger brother, Joseph, is a freshman backup point guard at D-III Hamilton College in upstate Clinton. His older brother, Josh, is a dental student at NYU.
6. Tweeted after his final game last season: "a huge shoutout to all the fans!! i promise to make more than one 3 next year lol"
7. He missed his Harvard graduation in May 2010 to attend NBA predraft workouts. So he took a video of himself picking up his diploma. "Feels great to finally see it," he said, "and to be official, I guess."
8. As a high school junior, he broke his right ankle during a pickup game at the YMCA just days before his team, then 29-1, was set to begin the playoffs.
9. As a high school senior, banked in a critical three-pointer with two minutes remaining to lead Palo Alto to a 51-47 win over nationally ranked Mater Dei to win the state championship.
10. Stood 5-3 as a high school freshman; grew one foot in four years.
11. Was named San Francisco Chronicle's boys high school player of the year in his senior year after hitting the winning shots in the final minute of six victories.
12. If he didn't grow up to be an NBA player, he wanted to be a food tester, he told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. (At Harvard, he majored in economics.)
13. Lin's favorite player growing up was Michael Jordan. Rooted for the Golden State Warriors and says one of his favorite teams was the 2006-07 squad that included current Knicks teammate Baron Davis.
14. While at Harvard, Lin was compared to a young Steve Nash by ESPN's Fran Fraschilla.
15. After his NBA career, he wants to be a pastor who works with underprivileged kids. "I want to do a ministry in urban areas and help with underprivileged kids," he once said, according to the AP.
16. First Harvard graduate to sign with an NBA team in 57 years.
17. According to his NBA.com bio, he interned for California State Sen. Joe Simitian one summer in high school and worked as an editor of his high school newspaper.
