Jeremy Lin graduated from Harvard almost a year ago, but until this week, he still hadn't gotten a chance to swing by campus and pick up his diploma. He's been a little busy with his new job.
Lin, a rookie guard with the Golden State Warriors, finally returned to Cambridge on Thursday afternoon. After a hectic first few months of the NBA lifestyle, he was happy to be back in Boston.
"The weather could be a little bit better," Lin joked. "But it's definitely good to be back — see some familiar faces, stop by campus, see some family that I have out here. It's been a good trip so far."
Lin wasn't able to walk at Harvard's commencement ceremony on May 27 since he was busy with pre-draft workouts. He finally got his diploma Thursday.
"Honestly, I wasn't that excited to get it," he admitted. "But then once I got it, I was like, 'Wow, this is pretty cool.' I got it in my hands, and I read the thing, and I was like, 'Wow.' I'm the first person in my family to graduate from the Ivy League, so I'm very proud of that."
Though he went unselected in the NBA draft last June, Lin caught on with the Mavericks' summer league squad in July, and he parlayed that into a two-year contract with the Warriors.
His time in Golden State has been up and down so far — he's come off the bench in 23 games for Warriors coach Keith Smart, but he's also spent some time with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League.
Most players loathe that experience of being sent back to the minors, but for Lin, it's only helped him grow.
"I'm just thankful that there was a D-League," he said. "There are a lot of other rookies that don't even go down to the D-League — they don't get sent down, but they don't play much. At least I got a chance to work on some stuff. I definitely got better in the D-League, and now I'm just finding a way to do what I did down there, up here."
Lin and the Warriors take on the Celtics on Friday night. He says he's got a few friends and family in town for the game, but most of his old buddies are back in Cambridge, where the Crimson are taking on Penn. He's more than a little jealous.
"Regardless of where I am, I've always really wanted to watch at least one of their games this year in person," Lin said of his old Harvard squad. "I haven't been able to, but I really, really wish I could."
