Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin just had "the toughest year" of his life as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association. But he credits his strong Christian faith as his source of strength and encouragement during difficult moments in life.
Speaking before nearly 2,000 students at Hong Kong's Chinese University, the 26-old-athlete admitted that his last season with the NBA actually went horribly. "During the first five games, how many did we win? That's right, zero," Lin said. "After 20 games I was benched. We finished the season 21-61, which set a franchise record for the most losses."
The basketball star might have taken this overwhelming loss personally, but he chose instead to focus on his relationship with Jesus Christ, and this helped him get pass whatever obstacle he was facing.
"The key to real success isn't about me—it's about Jesus," Lin said. "That's what I learned in the last season: Success doesn't work around my little circle. That was possibly the toughest year of my life. But one thing, to me, was that it really drew me closer to Christ. Sometimes you have to lose something to see and appreciate what you really have."
During the question and answer portion with the students, Lin was asked by a woman when he plans to get married, and Lin simply answered: "This will be God's arrangement. I have no idea now."
When a parent asked him for advice about his education in Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he studied from 2006 to 2010, Lin admitted that he originally did not want to study there.
"It's cold and it's really far away from my home. And I felt like I wouldn't get along with anybody because they were all very smart," he said. "I got recruited to play basketball which means they allowed my grades to be a little bit lower than the average student's. I still had to have good grades to get in, but, to me, being recruited for basketball was the biggest reason why I would get in."
While in Hong Kong, Lin went sightseeing at the Avenue of the Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, and even visited the Adidas "Sports Base" that is located at the Central harbour front.