It's been a busy week for Jeremy Lin, from the premiere of his documentary during the Sundance Film Festival to meeting one of the NBA's pioneer players.
On Sunday, Lin was flying in for the world famous Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where Evan Jackson Leong's film "Linsanity," which chronicled Lin's days from Harvard University basketball to his trials and tribulations in the NBA leading up to his rise to fame in New York last year.
However, a snow storm forced the Rockets' charter flight to be diverted to Junction, Colo., causing Lin to arrive to catch only the ending of the film.
"I didn't really get to see much of anything," Lin told the Houston Chronicle. "I just caught the very, very end and went to dinner with a lot of producers and my friends and people that have been helping on the project. (The feedback) was positive throughout the week. I think there were some nice reviews. I've been keeping track of it from a distance."
However, it may have worked out for the humble Lin, who said it would have felt awkward to have his teammates--originally coming along to see the movie-see a movie about him.
"That would have been really weird," Lin, 24, said. "My agent suggested I invite everybody in the organization. I was like, 'That will be pretty awkward.' I was thankful because some of my teammates and staff members were excited to see it. I was like, 'That's really cool they would take the time to watch a documentary about me.'
"It's just crazy to think the New Jersey Nets game (that launched Linsanity) was less than a year ago. It's crazy."
Lin's visit to Utah also gave him a chance to meet Wat Misaka, the first-ever Asian American player to have ever played in the NBA.
Misaka, a Japanese American born in Ogden, Utah, has been avidly keeping tabs on Lin since his rise to stardom last season.
"He's kind of following in my footsteps and improving on them," the 89-year-old Misaka said of Lin. "I wrote him a note of encouragement when he was with (Golden State) back in the dark days when things didn't look too good for him. He didn't have all these fans at that time. He's made a lot of progress since them. I think he's in a lot better place now."
The first player of Asian descent in the league's history, Misaka was drafted by the Knicks in 1947--the team's first-ever draft pick--after leading Utah to the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.
Lin called meeting Misaka "humbling."
"He was before all of us. He broke a lot of stereotypes, a lot of barriers and racial stereotypes. You have to pay respect to the people who came before you," he said.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
