Q&A with Palo Alto’s NBA guard
New Charlotte guard Jeremy Lin will be a backup for the Hornets, but he remains one of the NBA’s most recognizable players. Lin’s Asian American heritage and dynamic game earned him back-to-back Sports Illustrated covers in 2012 when he was with the New York Knicks, for whom he played after a 29-game stint with the Warriors.
Since then, stints with Houston and the L.A. Lakers have been far less successful. Lin, a Palo Alto High alum, joins the Hornets on a twoyear contract. Q: What makes you think Charlotte will be different? A: I’m optimistic because I think I’ve put in the work and I’m a better player. I also think Coach (Steve Clifford) understands my game at a different level and hopefully will empower me to do the different things that I feel like I’m capable of doing. It’s on me to perform. ... But having that open communication is really important. Q: What are the main misperceptions about the way you play? A: A lot of that kind of goes back to New York and some of the perceptions formed there. One was defense. People are like, “Oh, he’s a terrible defender.” But honestly, if you really dig into the numbers, if you look at my isolation-defense numbers, you will see me leading all point guards in blocks per 48 minutes. People think, “Oh man, he’s not that athletic.” To me, people just see me being Asian and they think a certain thing. That’s not all of it, but that’s part of the story. Q: You have made a number of comedic videos that have received millions of views. Why do you make those videos and what do you think are your best ones? A: My friends and family see me off the court and off camera and I’m always goofing around, joking, making fun of people. They were like, “Why don’t you ever show this side to the rest of the world?”