Jeremy Lin describes panic attacks over CBA rejection as anxiety crippled Beijing Ducks start
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Jeremy Lin has opened up on his time in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Beijing Ducks and the crippling fear that he would be rejected in the CBA just as he had been in the NBA.
“Going in I had such a determined mindset and I had such a killer intention, but I was so damaged and I carried so much emotional baggage that even though my intention was to do amazing things, I had such a fearful mindset,” Lin said in a monologue on Taiwan’s GOOD TV on Saturday, reminiscing on his move to Beijing after no NBA teams offered him a contract.
Lin, who has decided to try again in the NBA after a season in China, was a success during his time with the Ducks, taking them to the CBA semi-finals. However, he said he was crippled by fear during the first half of the season.
“Looking on paper at the season that came and went, I was an All-Star and there are many things that went my way and positive things that happened, but at the end of the day I still struggled with so much fear this past season.
“It was so bad. The opening game was an away game and I was in the hotel, I woke up from my pregame nap and I remember I stood up and I was going to go to the bathroom and I remember all of a sudden I had no energy in my body. I became weak. I just stumbled and I fell back on to the bed and I just crawled up in a fetal position and I just lay there for a couple of minutes because of the anxiety.