ASIANS are an uncommon sight in the NBA. To achieve his hoops dreams, Jeremy Lin had to fight against very tough odds.
But made it, he did. He is the first-ever person of Taiwanese descent to grace the league's stage. He is also the first Asian-American to win a championship.
Just this week, the Beijing Ducks guard released his first collection of the Xtep JLin One signature sneakers in Asia, launching two different colorways.
In just two days, stocks of the JLin One were sold out.
Xtep, a Chinese sports brand, designed the first pair with a white-gray mesh upper and light blue accents (Lin's signature colors). The second colorway, meanwhile, features a pattern in gold-black base.
The 32-year-old star shared that the shoes were an embodiment of his hard-fought battle through the years. Side by side with the launch, he uploaded a mini documentary of his journey to the pro leagues on his YouTube account.
"When I was young until now, it always felt like my basketball journey has been an uphill climb. There are many times I didn't think I'll make it to the next level. People looked at me for being Asian. I lacked confidence," he said in the opener of the film.
Lin grew up in Palo Alto California and attended both elementary and high school there, where he won a state championship and was named California State Player of the Year.
"The games have brought me to my knees a lot of times, I just have to help myself get back up. The game is meant to be played through love instead of vengeance, or anger, and when I flipped that switch, that's when I realized it matters. The best is yet to come," he said.
While he said that it never crossed his mind to ever have his signature shoe line, he's glad to have this chance.
"It's personal, when I think about these shoes. It's a great reminder of my ups and downs — I want to be the best version of myself as a basketball player and as a human," Lin said.
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