The new Brooklyn Net's point guard Jeremy Lin said he did not come to Brooklyn to be a trend or a craze but to be himself.
This time, Lin plans to own his dais rather than let it own him - from his social engagement to his changing lifestyle.
"I'll be myself. But I don't draw too many comparisons to Linsanity, the phenomenon,'' Lin said. "People will always compare me to that. In a lot of ways - not in a negative way or that I'm offended - it dehumanizes me to refer to me as a phenomenon. I'm going to be here, keep playing my game, do the best I can and whatever you guys want to call it, that's up to you."
On Wednesday, the nets revealed 6 news players but Lin caught the attention of many.
He arrived at his initial press conference in jeans, a black shirt and quasi-cornrows, similar to French braids.
"I've been wanting to do this and a bunch of different hairstyles for a long time,'' Lin said. "I've got all these different hairstyles. I don't really know any braiders in the Bay where I am in the offseason. But I came to Brooklyn and I said there has to be some braiders out here, and I found a really good one and she helped me out."
According to General Manager Sean Marks, "He's grown [since Linsanity]. And he's certainly grown in terms of his basketball IQ and what he can do. He's far more than just that now.''
"Everything happened overnight. When it first started, I'm not going to lie, it was cool. Then it became a burden, because I didn't know what I'd gotten myself into. I didn't know how big things had become,'' Lin said. "Every year, I embrace it more. Every year, I'm more appreciative. Every year, I love it more, and that's where I am right now."
Lin gained maturity to have change after going through six NBA teams in seven seasons.
"I'm in a much, much different place mentally as a person than I was when I was with the Knicks. When you talk about that platform, I want to embrace it,'' Lin said. "I'm not just saying Asians. If you look at what's going on in the world, and a lot of violence that's going on in the world in terms of the justice system and all these different things, that's real life. That's so much bigger than basketball.
"I have a voice because of basketball to be able to talk and influence, and do things that are related to things that are affecting people's lives every day. That's a very unique situation."
