For much of Jeremy Lin’s basketball career he’s had to endure doubt from naysayers and overcome obstacles that players with the talent he displayed, shouldn’t have to face.
Lin led his high school to a state championship in 2005-06 after they compiled a 32-1 record in the season and with him averaging 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.0 steals a game. And yet, he wasn’t offered a scholarship from a Division-I school.
The Rockets point guard finally has security on and off the court for the first time in his career after signing $25.1 million contract in the summer following a breakout season for the New York Knicks last season.
And according to ESPN, Lin told Chris Rose of 60 Minutes, that he believes the road he traveled to get this point was made harder because of his race.
“Well, I think the obvious thing in my mind is that I was Asian American, which, you know, is a whole different issue but … I think that was a barrier,” Lin told Charlie Rose in a “60 Minutes” interview that will air Sunday night.
“I mean … it’s a stereotype.”
Lin ended up at Harvard – a school known more for churning out scholars rather than elite basketball players – and was a standout player but still wasn’t drafted. David Stern was asked if he believed race played a factor in Lin being overlooked by teams the year he went undrafted.
“I think in the true sense the answer to that is yes,” NBA commissioner David Stern told Rose, according to CBSNews.com.
“In terms of looking at somebody … I don’t know whether he was discriminated against because he was at Harvard,” Stern said with a laugh, according to CBSNews.com. “Or because he was Asian.”
I don’t think there’s any doubt that Lin was overlooked due to his race. The fact that there hasn’t been an Asian guard to establish himself as a good to decent NBA player in the history of the league, obviously led to that. But, that may change now that Lin has shown he can produce at a high level.
He’s averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds a game for Houston and has formed an effective partnership with James Harden.