Jeremy Lin Is Just Getting Started

Episode 1 · Debut · May 8, 2026

Summary

This debut episode opens with a moment of grace: Jeremy Lin and Kenyon Martin laughing together at NBA All-Star Weekend 2026, nine years after a public conflict that made headlines. From there, the episode traces Lin's full arc — from the undrafted Harvard kid to the Linsanity phenomenon that gave Asian Americans a collective rallying point, through his 2025 championship retirement in Taiwan — and then follows him into his second act. That second act includes mentoring Asia-Pacific youth at the NBA Rising Stars Invitational in Singapore (June 2026), becoming a part-owner of LOVB San Francisco women's volleyball, anchoring a $10M, five-year foundation initiative for underserved AAPI youth, receiving honors at the TAAF Heritage Month Summit and Gold House's Gold100 list — and continuing to speak publicly about the Christian faith he says is his North Star.

Chapters

#	Chapter	Timestamp
1	Hook: A Moment of Reconciliation	0:12
2	Welcome to the Show	0:55
3	Who Is Jeremy Lin	1:21
4	What He's Doing Now	3:03
5	LOVB Ownership and Community Presence	3:57
6	The Jeremy Lin Foundation	5:04
7	AANHPI Heritage Month Recognition	6:19
8	Faith and the Inner Life	7:08
9	Closing Reflection	8:56

Full Transcript

[0:12] February 2026. NBA All-Star Weekend. Somewhere in the arena hallway, two men who hadn't spoken warmly in nearly nine years were laughing together, shaking hands, posing for photos.

[0:26] One of them was Kenyon Martin — a former NBA All-Star who, back in 2017, had publicly mocked Jeremy Lin's dreadlocks with a comment that landed like a gut punch. The other was Jeremy Lin himself.

[0:40] What happened between them is a story about something Jeremy Lin does better than almost anyone else I can think of in sports. He responds to conflict — not with silence, not with fire — but with something that looks a lot like grace.

[0:55] Welcome to the show. I'm your host, and this is a podcast about Jeremy Lin — basketball player, AAPI advocate, person of faith, and honestly, one of the most interesting people in American sports culture right now.

[1:10] This is our debut episode. And I figured the best way to start wasn't at the beginning — it was to start with a moment that tells you exactly who Jeremy Lin is today.

[1:21] So let's back up just a little — because if you're coming to this show cold, you might know the Linsanity headline but not the full story.

[1:29] Jeremy Lin is 37 years old. He was born in Torrance, California to Taiwanese immigrant parents. He went to Harvard — not exactly the pipeline to the NBA. He went undrafted. He was cut by two teams before the New York Knicks gave him a shot in 2012.

[1:49] And then — for two and a half weeks in February — the world collectively lost its mind. Linsanity. A backup point guard nobody had heard of was outplaying everyone in the league. It wasn't just sports news. It was cultural news.

[2:05] Journalist Jeff Yang put it this way — Linsanity was, quote, the first time — and long before Crazy Rich Asians — that Asians found something that we could collectively celebrate and rally around.

[2:18] Lin went on to play nine seasons in the NBA, win a championship with the 2019 Toronto Raptors, and then — in a move that surprised a lot of people — he headed to Taiwan to play in the P.LEAGUE+.

[2:34] He finished his career with the New Taipei Kings. Won the championship. Won Finals MVP. Won league MVP. And then, in September 2025, he said: it's time. He retired at 37, on his own terms, at the top.

[2:52] His number seven was retired by the New Taipei Kings. Not exactly what anyone predicted for the undrafted Harvard kid — but that's kind of always been the point.

[3:03] So what's he doing now? A lot, actually. Let me walk you through it.

[3:09] First — this June, Jeremy Lin will be in Singapore, headlining the NBA Rising Stars Invitational. It runs June 22nd through the 28th, and it brings together elite under-18 players from across the Asia-Pacific region — teams from Bangkok, Melbourne, Taipei, Tokyo, Hong Kong.

[3:29] Lin is there as a mentor. He told The Straits Times: quote, there is so much young talent across Asia-Pacific, and I'm proud to be part of an event that shines a spotlight on some of the region's top prospects. Helping shape the next generation is a cause I'm deeply committed to.

[3:49] He sees himself as a bridge. A living proof point that Asian players belong at the highest levels of the game.

[3:57] Second thing — and this one landed just this week — Jeremy Lin is now a part-owner of LOVB San Francisco, one of three new expansion teams in League One Volleyball.

[4:10] He announced it via Instagram and TikTok, writing: excited to share the news that the JLIN team and I are part owners of LOVB San Francisco Volleyball.

[4:20] The ownership group includes NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and ESPN journalist Sarah Spain. The team president described this as a different kind of ownership — active, invested, and passionate about building the future of women's sports in the Bay Area.

[4:37] Lin also showed up at the AMAZN All-Star Showcase in Fountain Valley in April — a high school basketball showcase specifically spotlighting Asian-heritage talent. He coached. He stayed until the very end. Signed autographs for every single person who waited.

[4:56] Someone asked him to demonstrate a move on court, and he said — and I love this — quote, that's why I retired.

[5:04] Now — all of this is real and newsworthy. But I want to spend a moment on the thing that, to me, is the most meaningful part of what Jeremy Lin is building right now.

[5:15] In October 2025, the Jeremy Lin Foundation launched something called the Thrive Together Collaborative. It's a five-year, roughly ten-million-dollar commitment to fund around twenty community-based organizations serving underserved AAPI youth — focused on New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.

[5:37] Here's the stat that hits me every time: AAPIs make up seven percent of the U.S. population. But only point three percent of philanthropic funding goes to AAPI causes. Three tenths of a percent.

[5:52] Lin told Inside Philanthropy: quote, how can we mobilize the community to really rally? I think it's a failure on me and the foundation if, at the end of these collaboratives, they're still reliant on me. There's something special about the real work coming when, a few years later, they don't need you.

[6:11] That's not the language of celebrity charity. That's the language of someone who actually wants to build something that outlasts him.

[6:19] And speaking of lasting impact — this month, May 2026, is AANHPI Heritage Month. Jeremy Lin is being honored at the TAAF Heritage Month Summit in New York City alongside Ke Huy Quan and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. He was also named to Gold House's Gold 100 list, recognizing the hundred Asian Pacific leaders who shaped global culture this past year.

[6:49] The TAAF Summit closes with an AAPI All-Star basketball game at Barclays Center. In Brooklyn. The arena where Jeremy Lin once played for the Nets.

[7:03] That's the kind of full-circle moment that doesn't happen by accident.

[7:08] Let me tell you something about Jeremy Lin that I think gets undersold in most of the coverage.

[7:13] At the peak of Linsanity — when his face was everywhere, when he was selling out arenas, when the world was chanting his name — he later described feeling completely empty.

[7:24] He said, on paper, I was at my height. But in my heart, I felt really empty.

[7:32] Lin's Christian faith isn't a footnote or a postgame mention. It's the thing he organizes his life around. He spoke at the Creative Legacy Conference in Kansas City in March 2026, alongside gospel artist Lecrae and pastor Francis Chan. That same month he appeared on Dwight Howard's podcast and talked openly about faith, perseverance, and what it means to build a life that isn't just about basketball.

[8:01] He has said — quote, if you're just building your own kingdom, you're chasing the wind. It's completely meaningless. But you can do things to build My kingdom to give Me the glory and to point people to Me.

[8:14] And then there's the Kenyon Martin story. Back in 2017, when Martin posted that mocking comment about Lin's hair, Lin didn't blast back. He wrote a thoughtful public response pointing out that Martin had Chinese characters tattooed on his own arm — and asking: wouldn't it be cool if we could just appreciate each other's cultures?

[8:35] Martin later deleted the post. Reached out privately. Was, in Lin's words, extremely apologetic.

[8:43] And then, in February of this year, at the NBA All-Star Weekend — nine years later — they were laughing together in that hallway. No tension. No awkwardness. Just two men who got there.

[8:56] I think that's the through-line of Jeremy Lin's story. He keeps showing up — not just for the wins, but for the hard things. The conversations nobody wants to have. The communities that don't get enough attention. The kids who need to see someone who looks like them doing something remarkable.

[9:14] He wrote in Time magazine in 2021: I didn't do enough when I was Linsanity to break down barriers for the next generation. I just wanted to play basketball. I didn't recognize the built-up trauma and the multi-generational, systemic injustices. It's one of my biggest failures and one of my biggest regrets.

[9:38] The fact that he said that — honestly, publicly, with no spin — is more interesting to me than any stat line he ever put up.

[9:47] Jeremy Lin is retired from pro basketball. But he is not done. Not even close.

[9:54] That's our first episode. If you're new here — welcome. Every episode, we'll bring you the latest on Jeremy Lin: what he's doing, what he's saying, and why it matters beyond the box score.

[10:07] Until next time — thank you for listening.

Sources

Yahoo Sports / EssentiallySports — «9 Years After Controversial Comment, Kenyon Martin Buries Hatchet With Jeremy Lin at All-Star Weekend» — [https://sports.[yahoo.com/articles/9-years-controversial-kenyon-martin-104521325.html](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/9-years-controversial-kenyon-martin-104521325.html)](https://yahoo.com/articles/9-years-controversial-kenyon-martin-104521325.html](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/9-years-controversial-kenyon-martin-104521325.html))
The Straits Times — «Basketball trailblazer Jeremy Lin hopes to inspire youth at NBA Rising Stars Invitational in Singapore» — [https://www.[straitstimes.com/sport/basketball/basketball-icon-jeremy-lin-hopes-to-inspire-youth-at-nba-rising-stars-invitational-in-singapore](https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/basketball/basketball-icon-jeremy-lin-hopes-to-inspire-youth-at-nba-rising-stars-invitational-in-singapore)](https://straitstimes.com/sport/basketball/basketball-icon-jeremy-lin-hopes-to-inspire-youth-at-nba-rising-stars-invitational-in-singapore](https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/basketball/basketball-icon-jeremy-lin-hopes-to-inspire-youth-at-nba-rising-stars-invitational-in-singapore))
Yahoo Sports — «There is so much young talent across Asia-Pacific — Jeremy Lin excited to headline NBA's Rising Stars Invitational» — [https://sports.[yahoo.com/articles/much-young-talent-across-asia-172900342.html](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/much-young-talent-across-asia-172900342.html)](https://yahoo.com/articles/much-young-talent-across-asia-172900342.html](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/much-young-talent-across-asia-172900342.html))
LOVB San Francisco (LinkedIn) — «Welcoming an extraordinary group of new owners» — [https://www.[linkedin.com/posts/lovb-san-francisco_welcoming-an-extraordinary-group-of-new-owners-activity-7458305871530500096-OwXg](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lovb-san-francisco_welcoming-an-extraordinary-group-of-new-owners-activity-7458305871530500096-OwXg)](https://linkedin.com/posts/lovb-san-francisco_welcoming-an-extraordinary-group-of-new-owners-activity-7458305871530500096-OwXg](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lovb-san-francisco_welcoming-an-extraordinary-group-of-new-owners-activity-7458305871530500096-OwXg))
South China Morning Post — «It's time: 9-year NBA veteran Jeremy Lin retires from professional basketball» — [https://www.[scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3323822/its-time-9-year-nba-veteran-jeremy-lin-retires-professional-basketball](https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3323822/its-time-9-year-nba-veteran-jeremy-lin-retires-professional-basketball)](https://scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3323822/its-time-9-year-nba-veteran-jeremy-lin-retires-professional-basketball](https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3323822/its-time-9-year-nba-veteran-jeremy-lin-retires-professional-basketball))
Inside Philanthropy — «Beyond Linsanity: Inside Jeremy Lin's Philanthropic Journey» — [https://www.[insidephilanthropy.com/home/beyond-linsanity-inside-jeremy-lins-philanthropic-journey](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/beyond-linsanity-inside-jeremy-lins-philanthropic-journey)](https://insidephilanthropy.com/home/beyond-linsanity-inside-jeremy-lins-philanthropic-journey](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/beyond-linsanity-inside-jeremy-lins-philanthropic-journey))
Jeremy Lin Foundation — «Thrive Together Collaborative Launch Announcement» — [https://www.[jeremylinfoundation.org/news/jeremy-lin-foundation-launches-thrive-together-collaborative](https://www.jeremylinfoundation.org/news/jeremy-lin-foundation-launches-thrive-together-collaborative)](https://jeremylinfoundation.org/news/jeremy-lin-foundation-launches-thrive-together-collaborative](https://www.jeremylinfoundation.org/news/jeremy-lin-foundation-launches-thrive-together-collaborative))
Forbes — «TAAF's 2026 Heritage Month Summit To Honor Ke Huy Quan, Neal Mohan And More» — [https://www.[forbes.com/sites/laurasirikul/2026/04/27/taafs-2026-heritage-month-summit-to-honor-ke-huy-quan-neal-mohan-and-more/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurasirikul/2026/04/27/taafs-2026-heritage-month-summit-to-honor-ke-huy-quan-neal-mohan-and-more/)](https://forbes.com/sites/laurasirikul/2026/04/27/taafs-2026-heritage-month-summit-to-honor-ke-huy-quan-neal-mohan-and-more/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurasirikul/2026/04/27/taafs-2026-heritage-month-summit-to-honor-ke-huy-quan-neal-mohan-and-more/))
EnVi Media — «Five Years of Gold — Gold House Announces Fifth Annual Gold Gala» — https://envimedia.co/five-years-of-gold-gold-house-announces-fifth-annual-gold-gala/
Instagram @creativelegacyconf — Creative Legacy Conference 2026 reel — [https://www.[instagram.com/reel/DWSIZMHETbx/](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWSIZMHETbx/)](https://instagram.com/reel/DWSIZMHETbx/](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWSIZMHETbx/))
MSN — «Jeremy Lin On Basketball Uniting Asian And African Americans» — [https://www.[msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/jeremy-lin-on-basketball-uniting-asian-and-african-americans-dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover/ar-AA1XssTN](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/jeremy-lin-on-basketball-uniting-asian-and-african-americans-dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover/ar-AA1XssTN)](https://msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/jeremy-lin-on-basketball-uniting-asian-and-african-americans-dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover/ar-AA1XssTN](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/jeremy-lin-on-basketball-uniting-asian-and-african-americans-dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover/ar-AA1XssTN))
Resonate — «Jeremy Lin's Unexpected Life as a Social Justice Advocate» — [https://www.[weareresonate.com/2025/09/jeremy-lins-unexpected-life-as-a-social-justice-advocate/](https://www.weareresonate.com/2025/09/jeremy-lins-unexpected-life-as-a-social-justice-advocate/)](https://weareresonate.com/2025/09/jeremy-lins-unexpected-life-as-a-social-justice-advocate/](https://www.weareresonate.com/2025/09/jeremy-lins-unexpected-life-as-a-social-justice-advocate/))
Salt & Light — «Not only did I have Linsanity, I also lost it all: Jeremy Lin opens up» — https://saltandlight.sg/profiles/not-only-did-i-have-linsanity-i-also-lost-it-all-jeremy-lin-opens-up-about-his-success-and-his-struggles/
8Asians — «Jeremy Lin Opens Up on Why He Retired — ACONIC Podcast EP22» — [https://www.[8asians.com/2025/09/23/jeremy-lin-opens-up-on-why-he-retired-and-what-comes-next-aconic-podcast-ep22/](https://www.8asians.com/2025/09/23/jeremy-lin-opens-up-on-why-he-retired-and-what-comes-next-aconic-podcast-ep22/)](https://8asians.com/2025/09/23/jeremy-lin-opens-up-on-why-he-retired-and-what-comes-next-aconic-podcast-ep22/](https://www.8asians.com/2025/09/23/jeremy-lin-opens-up-on-why-he-retired-and-what-comes-next-aconic-podcast-ep22/))
Wikipedia — «Jeremy Lin» (reviewed May 2026) — [https://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Lin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Lin)](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Lin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Lin))

Music and Audio Notes

Theme music: AI-generated original instrumental, produced via fal.ai MiniMax Music (v2.6) for this episode. Style: warm acoustic fingerpicked guitar with gentle piano undertones, 90–100 BPM, NPR-meets-sports-documentary feel. No vocals, no lyrics, no artist likeness replicated. Used as:

Opening theme (first 12 seconds, fade-out)
Low-volume background music throughout the episode (−26 dB relative to narration)
Closing theme (final 12 seconds, fade-out)

The music was generated specifically for this podcast and is not sourced from a commercial library. No third-party rights apply to this generated audio. The generation prompt did not reference or replicate any named artist or existing composition.

Voice synthesis: Narration synthesized via fal.ai MiniMax Speech (2.8-turbo), system voice English_CaptivatingStoryteller. No real person's voice was cloned or replicated.