Jeremy Lin made a big return to Madison Square Garden 14 years after experiencing one of the most thrilling moments in basketball. Now, at 37 years old, the couch-surfing Harvard graduate is back in the building that made him. This time, instead of wearing a jersey, he held a microphone for ESPN and spoke about the city that had let him go.
As for what he is doing beyond basketball? Lin co-owns the Bay Area Breakers in Major League Pickleball, runs his NextGen youth basketball camps in Palo Alto, and has told reporters he has serious long-term ambitions in television. Not bad for a man whom two franchises had already given up on before he turned 24.
'I Was Crushed': The Snub He Has Never Forgotten
For years, people thought Lin left the Knicks in 2012 for financial reasons. But Lin recently clarified the story, revealing a more painful truth. 'The Rockets offered me $29,000,000. I would have accepted $8,000,000 from the Knicks. I was crushed when my agent told me there's no offer from New York on the table.'
@cardripbros Jeremy Lin finally speaks out on why Linsanity had to end in New York. #linsanity #knicks #jeremylin #nba @Jeremy Lin
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This was the man who had given the city 38 points against Kobe Bryant, a buzzer-beater in Toronto, two Sports Illustrated covers in a fortnight, and the fastest-selling jersey in NBA history. Yet New York dropped the ball on Linsanity.
Lin has spoken about this at length over the years, including in his 2022 documentary 38 at the Garden, but the quotes have resurfaced this month given his return to the spotlight. He even rang his agent when Houston's offer came in and asked him to get the Rockets to lower the figure so the Knicks might match it. His agent told him the offer was final.
The Long Road Back
What followed was a career of considerable achievement that did not receive enough recognition. A torn meniscus ended his first season in Houston, and recurring hamstring issues haunted his early years with the Brooklyn Nets. On the opening night of the 2017-18 season against the Indiana Pacers, he ruptured his right patellar tendon, ending his season before it began.
He recovered, signed with the Toronto Raptors in February 2019, and won his NBA championship ring that June. In the process, he became the first Asian American player to win an NBA title.
From Toronto, Lin took his game to China, then Taiwan, where he joined the New Taipei Kings and quietly became a champion all over again, winning back-to-back titles and claiming the Finals MVP award in 2025. He retired from professional basketball last August after 15 seasons across three continents.
Karl-Anthony Towns, current Knicks star, recently paid a tribute to the icon. 'I truly want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin because he really made me a Knicks fan and had me at Modell's trying to find his jersey', he said.
Full Circle at the Garden
The Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The man they declined to make an offer to in 2012 is now one of the voices narrating ESPN's greatest moment in a generation. If New York's sporting gods have a sense of humour, this is their finest work.
While he is covering the series for ESPN, Lin views his return to the arena through the lens of a fan. 'I will be going back as a spectator for the first time ever', Lin told the New York Post. 'After leaving the Knicks, I did play against them multiple times, but I have never been back to the Garden as a spectator. I genuinely can't wait.'
