Welcome to Hollywood!
After being acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this off-season, point guard Jeremy Lin was officially welcomed to L.A. by hundreds of fans in am exclusive event hosted by shoe giant adidas. The celebration of Lin’s arrival also coincided with the launch of adidas a Standard – a new, exclusive destination for some of adidas’ best performance and style collections, located in select Foot Locker locations.
The newest Laker signed autographs and took seflies with fans inside of Foot Locker at the Westfield Culver City mall. Lin and the Lakers surprised 75 lucky fans with tickets to an upcoming Laker home game to see the guard in action live.
Prior to meeting with fans, Lin took some time out to discuss his arrival in L.A., the upcoming season and what we can expect now that he is in the Purple & Gold.
On joining the Laker organization:
“It’s great. The more time I spend around there, I see all the championship trophies, it’s such a prestigious organization to be a part of.”
Lin spoke on his role with the team and how he’ll be able to mesh with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
“I’ve just gotta be myself and play my game, and everything else will take care of itself. I’m not really concerned with all the uncertainties and the unknowns.” Lin said, “I want to be an elite defender eventually, I want to be a more complete player and affect the game in different ways. That’s my focus.”
Lin also discussed working out with Kobe and Nash this off-season and how ready they look for the upcoming season.
“They both look really good and really healthy. They’re moving well, they look much better than they did last year. To see them out there is refreshing.” Lin said, “We talked how to take care of yourself, your body, your career. I’ve seen some of the stuff that he (Nash) does in workouts and it’s eye-opening to see how him and Kobe are almost like robots in what they do. They know what they want to do and they get it done and leave. They’re very, very detail-oriented.”
Despite the uncertainty of a new head coach and scheme, Lin says he’s very much looking forward to playing under new Laker coach Byron Scott.
“He’s the most successful coach I’ve ever played for at the NBA level in terms of what he’s accomplished as a coach. I’m excited to learn a lot from him. Starting isn’t the most important thing, I’ve been in situations where I start and don’t play at the end of a game, and when I come off the bench and play the last 15 minutes of a game. I’m prepared for almost any situation.”
Lastly, Lin spoke on the rabid Laker fanbase and how he’s been welcomed since being acquired by the Lakers.
“It seems like everywhere I go there’s Laker fans. I’ll be in Dallas, on the East Coast, in Asia, doesn’t matter where. It seems like they’re everywhere, the receptions been unbelievable. I’ll be looking forward to having some Laker fans on the road with us.”
It was a great way to kick off Lin’s career as a Laker. If his reception from fans yesterday was any indication, Lin is sure to be one of the most popular players in a Laker uniform this season.