It’s not every day that young basketballers in Singapore get to run drills with former National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Jeremy Lin.
But on Sunday (28 June), that was exactly what a group of students and youth beneficiaries got to experience at OCBC Arena Hall 3, where the former NBA guard, who famously sparked the global “Linsanity” phenomenon during his breakout stint with the New York Knicks, joined them on the court for a basketball clinic.
Lin was in Singapore for the NBA Rising Stars Invitational, which also featured K-pop group LNGSHOT, who performed after Sunday’s awards ceremony.
The hall was already buzzing before the stars stepped in.
Across the court, teams lined up to shoot hoops, practise dribbling, and work through ball-handling drills, while spectators watched from the sidelines.
Every now and then, encouraging claps would ring out as participants exchanged high-fives, chased loose balls, and took turns launching shots towards the hoop, some sailing past the rim while others dropped cleanly through the net.
Lin later arrived together with LNGSHOT members Ohyul, Ryul, Woojin, and Louis, taking a few moments to greet organisers and other key personnel before making their way onto the court.
Their entrance was understated at first, but it wasn’t long before media members and other attendees gradually gathered around them, with phones soon rising above the crowd to capture the moment.
Once on the court, Lin wasted little time getting involved.
He led the youngsters through simple drills and exercises, occasionally sinking shots with seemingly effortless accuracy while offering words of encouragement and advice along the way.
Meanwhile, the members of LNGSHOT split up among the different groups, cheering the children on, joining in the drills, and taking a few shots of their own as they chatted and laughed with participants.
The session ended with Lin and the quartet gathering everyone together for a large group photo to commemorate the afternoon.
Speaking to MS News and other media after the session, Lin said his favourite part of the workshop was simply spending time with the children.
“Just playing with the kids. It’s always a ton of fun,” he said.
“I think we broke the ice pretty quickly. When there’s a basketball, everyone just starts having fun, hanging out, and interacting.”
Image courtesy of NBA Rising Stars Invitational
Asked what advice he had for youngsters dreaming of one day plying their trade in the NBA, Lin kept his message simple:
The biggest thing is just to go for it. Don’t be afraid, don’t be intimidated by your opponents, don’t second-guess yourself. Whatever you were doing to get here is what you need to continue to do.
When it comes to specific qualities that separate good players from elite ones, Lin, who also played for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, noted that physical ability alone was not enough.
While skill remains essential, he believes footwork is one of the sport’s most underrated fundamentals.
Source: @jlin7 on Instagram
“Being on balance, always having a good base, being able to move well,” he explained.
Just as important, he added, is decision-making.
“People talk about how high you can jump or how far you can shoot, but honestly, the people who make it to the top also have really good decision-making.”
According to Lin, players make hundreds of split-second “micro-decisions” during every game, and consistently making the right ones often separates the best from the rest.
Off the court, Lin also managed to squeeze in a taste of Singapore during his trip.
He shared that he had visited a hawker centre with renowned Singaporean competitive eater Zermatt Neo, where the pair sampled around 10 local dishes.
Source: @jlin7 on Instagram
“I’m going to get some chilli crab in a couple of hours,” he added with a smile.
While he did not have much time for sightseeing, Lin also found time to play pickleball, his sport of choice since retiring from professional basketball.
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Featured image by MS News. Photography by Felicia Fun.