Global Basketball Icon Jeremy Lin Ready to Write A New Story

Nineteen years after leading Palo Alto to a state title, the “Linsanity” legend says goodbye to pro basketball — and hello to mentoring the next generation

February 4, 2005; Palo Alto, CA, USA; Palo Alto Vikings guard Jeremy Lin dribbles the ball during the boys varsity game against the Gunn Titans at Gunn High School. The Vikings defeated the Titans 69-27. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Jeremy Lin is no stranger to shocking the world. 

Linsanity Was Born in Palo Alto

It started in high school at Palo Alto when the senior point guard led the Vikings to a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II state championship by posting a 32-1 record and upsetting top ranked Mater Dei High School in the championship game. That moment and time in life truly marked the birth of “Linsanity” before the kid walked-on at Harvard or before the moniker reached Madison Square Garden.

15 Years After Winning a State Title, Lin Has Announced the End

That was 2006. Where does the time really go? For Lin, he’s been around the world and back again after 15 years playing professionally from the NBA G-League, to his meteoric rise in the NBA, to winning back-to-back championships with the New Taipei Kings in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League. Now 19 years after walking off the court with a state championship and with “Linsanity” forever rooted in Palo Alto High School’s 127-year history, Jeremy Lin has once again shocked the world. 

Last week Lin took to his Instagram page to share some difficult news. It was time to say good-bye.

"As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away. I've spent my 15 year career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I've ever made,” Lin wrote. 

“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. 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.”

February 12, 2004; Palo Alto, CA, USA; Palo Alto Vikings head coach Peter Diepenbrock (center) instructs his team during the boys varsity game against the Gunn Titans at Palo Alto High School. Pictured: guard Jeremy Lin (bottom, second from right). Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

A Letter To Say Thank You To Palo Alto

Growing into a living legend around the game and having documentaries made about you isn’t easy, but neither is putting pen to paper about childhood memories that have come and gone. That’s what Lin did when recounting his thoughts about winning a state title at Palo Alto and writing for The Campanile, Palo Alto High School’s student-run newspaper. 

“As I look back and reflect upon my four-year basketball career here at Palo Alto High School, I realize how perfectly everything worked out. Before this year, winning a state championship was a stretch of my imagination. After that goal became reality, my natural tendency was to give myself the credit for the win. However, the more I think about the experience, the more I understand that I deserve less and less credit. I realize I could have done absolutely nothing without the support of so many other people, and I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude,” Lin wrote at the time. 

Humble. Genuine. Thankful. Those attributes jump off the page and would become characteristics the basketball world knew and loved him for. Reading Lin’s article in full, you can see how even young Jeremy was wise, foretelling, and ultra appreciative for Coaches Peter Diepenbrock and Bob Roehl at Palo Alto and his teammates who unknowingly helped make Lin into the pro he’d eventually become. 

“I am very grateful for the Paly students, staff and community. Paly boys’ basketball has not lost at home since March 2003, despite numerous overtime and one-possession games over the last three seasons. The reason is simple: the fans. The support and the love shown to the basketball team has been truly amazing, and the season would not have ended the same without the fans cheering us on and encouraging us to give our best effort every second. On behalf of the Paly basketball program, I want to thank everyone for supporting our team. Thank you for helping us win our state championship; a championship that we, as a school and community, can share together. It could not have been done without you, and that is not a stretch of my imagination.”

One day you are writing your reflections about winning a high school basketball championship in your school newspaper and the next you are jumping onto social media to announce your retirement to 2 million followers on Instagram.

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Next Up: The Journey Continues

The line that stands out from Lin’s retirement announcement just might be his last one: “Here’s to what’s ahead.”

There’s a good chance basketball will be somewhere in the final destination for the player who became the first Asian American NBA champion with the Raptors in 2019. It feels like he’s already arrived as Lin opened JLIN NextGen Basketball Camp in his hometown of Palo Alto last month with a focus on developing Asian American future student-athletes to excel on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. From that young kid who laced them up for the Vikings, to a professional player who took the world by storm, to becoming a coach who is invested in the next generation.

Jeremy Lin is far from done shocking the world.