Linsanity Forever: Jeremy Lin Has Officially Retired From The Game Of Basketball

Jim McIsaac. Getty Images.

Much like John Wall a few weeks ago when he made his own "retirement" announcement, I suppose this shouldn't be all that surprising. Jeremy Lin's last NBA game took place during the 2018-19 season, when he played 23 games for the Raptors. However, he also played a few years in the CBA (2019-2023) before officially retiring from the game of basketball.

Obviously, whenever anyone hears the name Jeremy Lin, I imagine our collective brains all go to the same place. 

Linsanity. 

Arguably one of the most insane two-week runs in recent NBA history. It didn't just take over the NBA and the city of New York, it took over the entire world. I'm not being hyperbolic, that's truly how wild those few weeks in February 2012 were. I remember back at this time in 2012, I had taken a bus from Boston to NYC to go see this giant animated billboard I had been working on in my 9-5 advertising job go live for the first time in Times Square right in the middle of the Linsanity run, and it was one of the craziest things I've ever experienced. 

We walked around and found some bar to watch the Knicks vs Lakers showdown, which, in my opinion, was the height of Linsanity. There were a lot of amazing performances during that stretch, but that game was the peak (at least for me). You may remember that as Lin's 38/4/7 against Kobe in a 92-85 win

Look, I'm a simple guy. If you destroy the Lakers, you'll always be good in my book. The beauty of Linsanity was the fact that it wasn't just a one-off thing during this stretch. It was essentially every single time Jeremy Lin touched the floor during those two weeks

You have to remember, back in 2012 point guards like Deron Williams and John Wall were All Star caliber players, and Lin cooked the shit out of them. If we're being honest, even after Linsanity died down a little but during the last few weeks of the 2011-12 season, Lin was still pretty good

which was how he was able to parlay Linsanity into a 4/$28M offer sheet from the Rockets. I know that might not seem like a big contract in 2025, but in 2012, it was big enough that the Knicks ultimately decided not to match. Sure, the Rockets revised it and only made the first two years guaranteed, but he still made the jump from $762K with the Knicks to $5M as a Rocket. I do wonder if he could do it all over again if he would have settled for something less to stay in New York, but when you catch lightning in a bottle, there's certainly nothing wrong with cashing in and being set for life. All in all, during his NBA career Lin earned $66M in just basketball contract money, and he left the league a champ with the Raptors. So in the end, I'd say things worked out just fine.

Over the years in the NBA, there have been a few "where were you when" moments, but to me, nothing quite matches up to those two weeks in February. As Amare said, Linsanity legitimately took over the basketball world (and for good reason). You couldn't not watch whenever the Knicks played, even if you weren't a Knicks fan. You think I give a shit about the Knicks? Heavens no. But Jeremy Lin had me tuned in like you read about, and I certainly wasn't alone.