Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis said they tried to get Jeremy Lin on board with turning Linsanity right into a a money cow, but he wanted no a part of it.
Anthony, Davis and Lin were all teammates on the Knicks when Linsanity took over Recent York in 2012 — when Lin rose to fame during an inspiring 12-game stint when he averaged over 22 points and nine assists after the Knicks called him as much as the league.
Through the latest installment of his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, which Anthony co-hosts with comedian The Kid Mero, Anthony and Davis, who was a guest on the show, explained that Lin missed out on a $100 million business opportunity by not capitalizing on Linsanity.
“People all the time speak about how no person liked the Linsanity era [in 2012], personally me. You get what I’m saying?” Anthony, who retired in May 2023, said, referring to those that believed he was jealous of the purpose guard’s success with the Knicks.
“Yeah, they’d thrown that on the market, but people don’t know that behind the scenes were very supportive. We was once within the locker room attempting to get him…”
That’s when Davis chimed in.
“He didn’t even know easy methods to get a deal,” Davis said, to which Anthony emphasized, “A deal!”
Davis added that “everybody and their momma was calling” Lin.
“Linsanity might have been a $100 million business easy and I’m attempting to get this through to him,” Anthony recalled.
“Yeah he wasn’t attempting to hear that s–t from no person,” Davis said.
“He was like, ‘Nah, I’m not brought up on that, my parents,’” Anthony explained. “But I respected that. I hear that, matter of fact, bring your parents in here, allow us to consult with them… It was [happening] so fast.”
Davis described that point as a “magical” two weeks when Lin led the Knicks to 10 wins in 13 games within the 2012 season.
“There was 100 media within the locker room,” he said. “Could you modify within the locker room? No. All of us modified in every single place else.”
Throughout his profession, Lin had stints with the Warriors, Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks and Raptors. He was a part of the 2019 Raptors team that won the franchise’s first championship.
Lin, now 35, currently plays for Recent Taipei Kings of the P. League+ in Taiwan, alongside his brother Joseph Lin, who can be on the team.
He signed with the team for his 14th skilled season last September after he hinted at retirement in an emotional post on Instagram in 2021.
In it, Lin expressed his frustration over not getting an NBA opportunity following a formidable G League season with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Lin announced in a Facebook post in January 2023 that he married his longtime partner, Kristina Wong, “a pair years ago,” adding the intimate ceremony was the “highlight” of his life.
