SAN FRANCISCO — Palo Alto native Jeremy Lin, who captivated the sports world with his infamous Linsanity run in 2012 with the New York Knicks, officially retired from basketball on Saturday.
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away. I’ve spent my 15 year career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Lin, 37, said in an Instagram post on Saturday.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to compete against the fiercest competitors under the brightest lights and to challenge what the world thought was possible for someone who looks like me. I’ve lived out my wildest childhood dreams to play in front of fans all around the world. I will forever be the kid who felt fully alive every time I touched a basketball.”
The former Palo Alto High standout most recently played with the New Taipei Kings of the Taiwanese Professional Basketball League.
Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry and Jeremy Lin enjoy the view from the bench as their team take on the Grizzlies at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. (Susan Tripp Pollard/Staff) (Susan Tripp Pollard/Staff)
Lin signed as an undrafted free agent with the Golden State Warriors in 2010 and played 29 games for the franchise before being released a year later.
On the verge of being out of the league, Lin saved his NBA career over a two week stretch during the 2011-12 season with the New York Knicks. Lin caught the attention of the sports world when he averaged 25 points and 9.2 assists while leading the Knicks to a 8-1 record in that span.
Against the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers, Lin dropped 38 points and seven assists in a nationally televised game. Two nights later in Toronto, Lin hit a buzzer-beating game winner to which Bryant’s teammate Metta World Peace coined the term Linsanity while running past reporters after watching the game live.
He landed on the cover of Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated in back-to-back weeks as he became a national sensation overnight.
Though Lin never recaptured the magic he had with the Knicks later in his career, he became a serviceable NBA player. After his stint with New York, he played seven more seasons with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors.
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) hugs Toronto Raptors’ Jeremy Lin (17) following the Raptors 114-110 win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2019. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
In his final NBA game, also the Warriors last in Oracle Arena, Lin hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy as a member of the Raptors. He attempted to make an NBA comeback with the Santa Cruz Warriors during the 2021 season, but spent the rest of his career playing various leagues around Asia.
Last month, Lin hosted a camp in Palo Alto for the top Asian American college basketball players in the country. He told this news organization that he wanted to retire on his terms.
Former NBA star Jeremy Lin teaches basketball skills during his NextGen college basketball camp at the Pinewood Activities Center in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
“I want to be able to go out not because I can’t play or can’t physically play. I want to be able to go out the way I want to go out,” Lin said. “The game has given a lot to me, but finding that nice middle ground of, ‘Hey, maybe I could play a little bit more, but I don’t need to.’ I’ve done a lot in my playing career, so I’m still trying to figure out that balance.”
Lin attended Saturday’s Golden State Valkyries game and received a standing ovation from the Bay Area crowd.
Over his nine-year NBA career, Lin finished with 5,567 points, 2,042 assists and a career shooting percentage of 43.3%.
