Wednesday, February 8, 2012

An open letter to Jeremy Lin

Dear Jeremy,

I hope you don't mind if I call you Jeremy.

First things first. Congratulations, because you made it.

This will probably be a drop in the bucket compared to all the stuff being written about you by Knicks bloggers, by Warriors bloggers, and just by surprised sports bloggers in general. You've had two big games, and hey, you don't have to listen to me, because frankly, you make almost 20x more than I do a year in salary (which I believe you will be getting guaranteed soon). Regardless of all that hype, regardless of the cheers or jeers of the fickle fans in Madison Square Garden, know that at the very least, you're the hero of every Asian-American male under 35 who used to pretend he was [insert favorite NBA player here] on his 8 (maybe 7) foot rim in his driveway. You are someone we can point to and say, "See, you don't have to be a doctor or computer programmer to make money." That's a lot of pressure, but you made it. You've shown that you don't have to be a 7-6 freak of nature from China to make it. Despite all the adversity, you made it, and we're proud of you.

Now you don't have to listen to a single thing I say, in fact, you probably won't even read this, but I'd like to give you a little bit of perspective (from where I'm sitting). You're going to continue to be scrutinized to a high degree, because well, NBA bloggers are diligent about what they do, and Knicks fans are well, generally crazy. People are going to continue to draw Steve Nash comparisons because well, you play for Mike D'Antoni, and you're breaking the "Asian man can't ball" stereotype like Nash broke the "white man can't ball" stereotype. Now I'll be the first to admit that I suck at basketball, and honestly, I don't watch it enough either to call myself anything more than a slightly-less-than-casual fan. So I don't have great credibility when I talk about technical basketball things. I could say how I think you've got a great feel for running the pick-and-roll, and I can talk about how a guy like Tyson Chandler must be a nice big target for you. At the end of the day though, people more credible and knowledgeable than I will be talking about your explosive first step, your creativity at getting to the rim while questioning your iffy jumper and athleticism. You probably hear enough of this stuff from your coaches and trainers. I know you've worked hard to get to where you are, and I'm glad you've taken a hold of this opportunity to shine.

I'd like to give you some more practical, personal advice. Now, I don't know a whole lot about being an NBA player, in fact I know absolutely nothing. Frankly, because I don't trust 2K Sports or EA Sports to make a game with any semblance of reality built in, and well, because at the end of the day, the people with the most experience, like Charles Barkley, are really just paid to say funny things that sound like they're related to basketball. I applaud your passion for the game, but also, I applaud your passion for Christ. People might (especially New Yorkers) get annoyed or offended that you try to glorify God in every interview that you have, but I appreciate your faith and your trust in how God has provided for you. Never lose that. Whether you become the next Steve Nash or the next Steve Blake, I hope that you never lose your passion for your faith. While I think you know better than I whose game you should emulate (maybe Jason Kidd?) on the court, I would ask that as you take a step back and consider, that you would emulate your career after the likes of David Robinson (Tim Tebow is also I believe someone whom you could look up to, though it is football). Now that you've made it, lots of doors open up for you, I hope then that you take the opportunity to meet with said people and get perspective. I know you're basketball game will keep growing, but it's how you grow with that game that's going to make the biggest impact of all.

Again, I'm glad you made it. I don't know that you'll read this, I don't know that you don't already know everything I've just said. That being said, I've had a blast watching you and hope to see much more. Great job Jeremy.

Sincerely,

A fan

No comments: