Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

'Proud of where I'm at': Jeremy Lin on life after the NBA, reinvention and redefining success

Behind the Business with Michelle Toh

Show Notes

This week, NBA champion, entrepreneur and investor Jeremy Lin takes us on his journey from underdog to global sports phenomenon.

From going undrafted out of Harvard to finding himself at the center of "Linsanity," Jeremy has had a career unlike almost any other.

Now, a year after retiring, he's building the next chapter of his career and seeking to redefine success beyond basketball.

We get a special peek into Jeremy’s world on and off the court, hear about his ambitions in media, startups and VC, and meet "the one person" whom Jeremy says has helped him and his brand the most: JLIN LLC CEO (and Jeremy's sister-in-law!) Patricia Sun.

In this episode, we dive into:

00:00: Introduction

01:28: Walk & talk at Jeremy's basketball training camp for young AAPI athletes

04:56: How would the students describe Coach Jeremy?

05:54: Developing a winning mindset

07:00: Transitioning to life after retirement

09:24: Find joy in the journey: What he's hoping to pass down to the next generation

11:22: Sitting down with Jeremy in-studio

11:56: Playing at the YMCA: The beginning of Jeremy’s basketball journey

13:10: Why basketball felt like an escape

14:05: The moment the NBA dream actually felt real

14:57: Going undrafted and overcoming self-doubt

17:36: What it felt like to live through Linsanity

19:30: Handling pressure and overthinking

19:54: Highlight moments: Scoring 38 points against the LA Lakers, Kobe Bryant

21:13: Winning the NBA championship — and not feeling enough

23:05: Managing self-talk and criticism

24:33: Learning to be proud of where you’re at

28:01: Chopping a long-term goal into "10,000 small goals"

29:30: Ad

32:10: Rebuilding his career after injury

33:50: Going overseas

34:23: Competing with yourself

36:35: Playing basketball in Asia

37:23: Representation in sports: How perceptions of Asian athletes have changed

35:20: Couch-surfing: Crashing with Landry Fields, his brother and sister-in-law

38:49: Introduction to Patricia Sun, the CEO behind Jeremy Lin's brand 40:50: How Patricia became Jeremy’s business partner

42:10: How Jeremy’s family managed the rise of Linsanity

43:11: Building a global brand strategy

43:54: What being "mission-driven" really means

45:08: Ad

47:32: How to evaluate deals and decipher which ones to turn down

48:11: What it's like to work with family

49:52: Entering the VC world: What the team looks for when investing in startups

51:39: Opportunities in Southeast Asia

52:20: Investment strategy and business vision

54:48: Jeremy’s next big career goal

56:26: The long-term vision for JLIN LLC

58:16: Starting a hydration drinks brand in Taiwan and staying true to their values

01:00:00: Audience question

01:02:20: Cultural differences: Jeremy’s funniest story from playing in both the NBA and CBA

01:03:05: Rapid-fire round

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🎙️ About Behind the Business

Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How did yo

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