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Last week, Jeremy Lin sparked a debate about the definition of “rock bottom” after he broke down during a speaking engagement in Taiwan over NBA teams supposedly giving up on him in free agency.
The tearful Lin, whose enjoyed nearly a decade long career in the league and not even two months removed from becoming the first Asian-American to win and NBA championship, went as far to say “…rock bottom just seems to keep getting more and more rock bottom for me.”
There were two schools of thought after Lin’s candid display of emotion:
Jeremy Lin is an NBA champion.
Jeremy Lin attended Harvard.
Jeremy Lin has made a lot of money.
Jeremy Lin is also allowed to be upset and/or depressed sans judgement.
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) July 28, 2019
Counterpoint:
Jeremy Lin:
– Good 2 months of play in 2012
– Bench player
– Champion
– Cries about situation
– “I feel bad for Lin”Carmelo Anthony:
– Great 15 years of play from 03-17
– 1st ballot Hall of Famer
– Prime wasted by Phil Jackson
– Doesn’t cry about situation
– “Melo’s trash LOL” pic.twitter.com/WyKNoZq6hn— CTRL the Narrative (@ctrlnarrative) July 29, 2019
Lin has since expanded on his comments to Diamond Leung of The Athletic:
“I think showing weakness is one of the greatest signs of strength. Ironically, to be able to be OK with your weakness is one of the strongest things you could do. Who doesn’t have weaknesses? We all do. But to show them is one of the strongest things you can do.”
The 30-year-old also addressed critics who found his comments to err on the side of self-pity and show a lack of appreciation for a long and lucrative career ($65 million in career earnings).
“If I rubbed people the wrong way, I’m sorry,” Lin said. “But at the end of the day, I know what I’ve been through, I know the obstacles that I’ve been through, and I also know what kind of player I can become, and I know I haven’t done that.”
As far as what’s next for Lin, it’s been reported that if he doesn’t receive an appetizing offer in the NBA, he could move to the CBA or a Taiwanese team. His little brother Joseph won the Super Basketball League title with the Fubon Braves this season.