Yahoo Lifestyle Jeremy Lin defends getting emotional over lack of free agency interest
It takes a lot to cry about your lowest moments.
That’s what Jeremy Lin did in a moment that went viral last week at a speaking engagement in Taiwan. This week, at another event in Shanghai, Lin defended himself for being vulnerable.
“I think showing weakness is one of the greatest signs of strength,” Lin said, via Diamond Leung of The Athletic. “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.
Lin broke down when talking about lack of interest by teams to sign him in free agency. He cried as he spoke on how he felt the NBA has given up on him.
“Free agency has been tough because I feel like, in some ways, the NBA has given up on me.”
Jeremy Lin opened about the challenges he's been facing. 🙏 ❤️
(🎥: Facebook/GOOD TV 好消息電視台) pic.twitter.com/hIdNrrUxQH— theScore (@theScore) July 28, 2019
After his comments made the rounds on social media, Lin received an outpouring of support from current and former players alike. But he also was faced with critiques over what he considered to be “rock bottom” as an NBA player.
“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.”
‘This is life’
Lin, 30, won a championship with the Toronto Raptors last season but rarely saw the court. He has generated tepid interest in free agency thus far, coming a long ways from his “Lin-sanity” days with the New York Knicks.
At his age, Lin should have more years of productive basketball ahead of him. But the market dictates a player’s value, and Lin remains unsigned.
That is the perspective that he was coming from when he broke down on stage.
“Man, try. Fail. It’s OK,” Lin said, via the New York Post. “Get back on your feet. Fail again. It’s OK. This is life.”
It is easy to gloat at your highest point; it is hard to expose yourself at your lowest point. That was where Lin was coming from, as he tries to continue an NBA career that has definitely seen its highs and lows.
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