Jeremy Lin Admits Going Backwards, NBA Dream Outweighs Big Money For Now

Jeremy Lin continues to pursue his NBA dream, and he is willing to do it the hard way even if it holds no promise.

He is set to debut in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, playing alongside rookies and other players who have never gotten the chance to play in the NBA ranks.

Hence, Lin is likely to act as a mentor to these players and do double duty. That is only normal for players like “Linsanity” who already have an NBA ring to his credit.

He was part of the 2019-20 Toronto Raptors squad that won the NBA title, but things just went sour from there. When he hit free agency, no club took a chance on him and the 32-year-old ended up playing in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Given that Lin made big strides, it was not enough to convince him to return to the CBA. Instead, he opted to pursue his dream over fame and big money, a move that he admits gets people to think that he is crazy, The Athletic reported.

"People who are close to me think I'm crazy, or surprised that I didn't go back this season to be the star of that league in a country of 1.5 billion people and to be the franchise player," Lin stated.

"I'm in my 11th year as a professional basketball player, and I'm in the G League and I'm not even assigned. If you look at it on paper, my first day as a rookie I was ahead of where I am now," he continued. "After all the work, experiences I've had, film I've watched, hours in the gym, I've gone backwards. That's definitely a test, and it's a matter of how badly I want to prove it, so it's going to take a lot of perseverance."

Things have not been easy for Lin who may be taking a big risk by shunning the offer of his last team, the Beijing Ducks, where he normed 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 39 games.

Looking ahead, it will be interesting if Lin gets the chance to officially play in the NBA once more. He could get elevated to the Golden State Warriors roster at some point or gain interest from other teams.

But for now, he needs to prove he can still be of use to any NBA team. If things don’t fall into place, it will be interesting if he opts to take up the offer to return to the CBA, assuming there are still pitches on the table.