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Toronto Raptors guard Jeremy Lin shoots for a basket past Washington Wizards forward Jabari Parker in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: USA Today
Opinion
Nicolas Atkin
Nicolas Atkin

Jeremy Lin used to ‘run’ from role of representing Asia but says he now embraces it after Toronto Raptors debut

  • Taiwanese-American NBA star opens up on struggling with the pressure of being Asian role model
  • Now Toronto Raptors’ Lin is proudly embracing his status in a city and franchise that’s a perfect fit

Jeremy Lin got a standing ovation when he stepped onto an NBA court for the first time as a Toronto Raptor (let’s just forget that his first touch of the ball resulted in a turnover).

On and off the court, the trade for the former Atlanta Hawk seems like a perfect fit for the player and the Canadian franchise.

He did well in his debut with eight points, five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in 25 minutes of the 129-120 win over the Washington Wizards.

The 30-year-old knows Canada well. He rehabilitated his knee injury in Vancouver for six months last year and is excited about how he will fit in to the city and the country, which has a large Asian population.

“When the organisation as a whole wants you, from front office to coaches to players, that means something,” he said. “I’ve been in situations where maybe one of the three, two of the three didn’t want me.

“And secondly, this team, what they stand for and what they’ve done this season ... I almost feel Like I’m cheating, jumping into a 40-something win team. I’m almost like, ‘Man, I feel like I don’t deserve this’ or something. But I’m happy to be here, I’m happy to be part of the squad.”

With Raptors guard Fred VanVleet undergoing surgery on his injured thumb and set to miss five weeks, Lin will get games.

That will be music to the ears of the NBA marketing men looking to attract more fans in China. Lin has been the face of the NBA’s Lunar New Year celebrations in recent years and representing Asians is a role he is growing more comfortable with.

Jeremy Lin is proud to represent Asians in Canada. Photo: USA Today

“Yeah, it probably happens in every city that has a strong Asian dynasty. It happened in Atlanta as well, but not this,” Lin said, pointing around the press room to laughter.

There were 10 members of the Chinese-language media at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night.

Lin is the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, and he has gained a different perspective after struggling at first with his new-found celebrity during his rise to stardom in 2012, when he unexpectedly sparked the New York Knicks to a winning turnaround and started a global craze known as “Linsanity”.

“I’m very proud to represent Asian people on a global platform and on a global scale,” he said. “So for me to be here where there’s a lot of Asians is [great].

Jeremy Lin celebrates a basket against the Washington Wizards. Photo: AP

“I used to run from it, because that’s all anybody ever wanted to ask about. Oh, he’s Asian, he’s Asian, he’s Asian.

“I was like, talk about my basketball. But now, people are seeing I can play and I belong in the NBA, and I’ve really embraced just being able to represent Asians and to do that in the right way hopefully and do my best.”

Lin has never made it out of the first round of the play-offs and has been injured twice for his teams’ post-season campaigns. “I’m tired of watching,” he said.

Stepping up from a 19-38 Hawks team to a Raptors team with the third-best record in the NBA [43-16], Lin has got his wish to be a relevant part of a winning cause again.

Toronto Raptors guard Jeremy Lin tries to steal the ball from Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. Photo: AP

It’s about time, after a journeyman period of seven years that has also taken him to the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets.

“Just landed, this Toronto weather is not playing around,” he said in an Instagram video of the swirling snow to his 1.6 million followers.

Lin isn’t playing around, either, and that’s great news for the Raptors and the NBA.

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