Jeremy Lin has made a habit of proving doubters wrong. He was unable to play his way to a basketball scholarship after high school, and went undrafted after finishing his education at Harvard University. But he never gave up hope, and fought his way into the National Basketball Association. He first made headlines thanks to the "Linsanity" phenomenon when he was given a chance with the New York Knicks in 2012 and then more recent contracts with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. As the first Chinese-American player in the NBA, Lin, 26, is happy to be a role model for Asian athletes and during a stopover in Hong Kong he said he was proud of what he had achieved so far. "A lot of people didn't think I would be able to play basketball for a living," he said. "People tend to look down on you if you're a certain type of person with a certain type of appearance, but you have got to believe in yourself, and then anything is possible." Lin made a guest appearance yesterday at the Adidas Sports Base erected at the Central harbourfront and is set to host a Boost Your Summer 2015 programme of activities until August. Watch: NBA star Jeremy Lin makes guest appearance for opening of 'Sports Base' in Hong Kong Lin was recently ranked 97th in Forbes ' annual list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world with estimated earnings of US$18.9 million. After draining a few baskets for his fans yesterday, he explained how he thinks the landscape of international sport is changing for Asian athletes. "I think there are a lot of barriers right now. There are stereotypes and certain stigmas. There is a certain ceiling people place on Asian-Americans and Asians [by] certain industries, but I think we're on our way," he said. "We'll continue to break down those stereotypes and continue to make space for ourselves and carve out a niche for ourselves in sport."
