Linsanity Comes To An End! NBA Icon Jeremy Lin Announces Retirement

Last Updated:August 31, 2025, 09:31 IST

Jeremy Lin retires after a trailblazing career from Harvard to NBA stardom, sparking Linsanity with the New York Knicks and winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors.

Jeremy Lin back in his New York Knicks days (X)

Basketball fans will get to witness more Linsanity on the court.

Jeremy Lin, one of the NBA’s most unique and inspiring figures, announced his retirement from professional basketball on Saturday night through an emotional Instagram post.

“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to compete against the fiercest competitors under the brightest lights and to challenge what the world thought was possible for someone who looks like me," Lin wrote.

“I’ve lived out my wildest childhood dreams to play in front of fans all around the world. I will forever be the kid who felt fully alive every time I touched a basketball."

From Undrafted to Global Star

Lin’s journey began in 2010 when he went undrafted out of Harvard, an Ivy League school with little basketball pedigree. Despite the setback, the Golden State Warriors signed him, and he appeared in 29 games as a rookie.

But it was in his second season, after joining the New York Knicks, that Lin became a worldwide sensation.

The “Linsanity" Phenomenon

In February 2012, Lin produced one of the most improbable and electrifying stretches in modern NBA history. Over an 11-game run, he averaged 23.9 points and 9.2 assists, leading the Knicks to a 9-2 record.

His breakout included a career-high 38-point explosion against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, a performance that cemented his status as a global icon.

The period was quickly dubbed “Linsanity", a cultural phenomenon that turned Lin into a symbol of hope, particularly for Asian Americans, and drew millions of new fans to the NBA worldwide.

Though he never again reached the same heights of that 2012 run, Lin carved out a solid nine-year NBA career, playing for the Warriors, Knicks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors.

Across 480 NBA games, he averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

His perseverance was rewarded in 2019 when he became the first Asian-American player to win an NBA championship, as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

Even after leaving the NBA, Lin continued his professional career in China’s CBA and with developmental league teams, further spreading the game’s global reach.

(with Reuters inputs)

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

Read More

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First Published:

August 31, 2025, 09:31 IST

News sports Linsanity Comes To An End! NBA Icon Jeremy Lin Announces Retirement

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