Jeremy Lin discusses his doubts about deserving NBA championship on Ryan Higa’s Off the Pill Podcast
- ‘They always highlight you’re the first Asian who didn’t do something in the group project,’ Lin says
- ‘I wish people understood just how hard we work, even the guys who never touch the floor’
Jeremy Lin has opened up about his self-doubts over whether he deserves to be called an NBA champion.
The 30-year-old became the first Asian-American to win an NBA title last week, but played only 51 seconds in the Toronto Raptors’ triumph in six games against the Golden State Warriors.
“There were times in all honesty where I felt I had to tell myself I deserve a championship,” Lin said in an appearance on the Off The Pill Podcast, which is hosted by his friend Ryan Higa. “As a competitor who plays and has played my whole life, I’m not used to not playing, so I was like, ‘This is tough, do I really deserve it?’
“Then I started to think about my whole journey and I definitely do. I contributed to the team, I played 23 games in the regular season. I play against these guys all the time, whether it’s in workouts or whatever, even watching the game and talking to guys, giving my opinion, being a voice.
“That’s very, very valuable. In terms of staying ready and working out, I worked really, really hard this year.