Jeremy Lin is on the Cover of GQ; Talks Race, Knicks, Expectations

I received a media alert this morning from Conde Nast that the next issue of GQ (newsstands October 23) will feature Jeremy Lin on the cover. The release features some choice quotes from the cover story, which you can read after the jump.

This is one of those cover selections that will either be seen down the road as smart/visionary, or if Lin flames out quickly in Houston, a silly miss by GQ. [IT HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US]

Some quotes from the story about the expectations facing Lin, the role of race in his perceived limitations on the court, and how he wanted to play for the Knicks for the rest of his career:

Lin on what lies ahead for him:
“People are always saying, ‘He’s only started twenty-five games, there’s so many uncertainties.’ And I agree. I totally agree. I don’t know how my next season’s going to turn out. The things that I struggled with before last year, I’m going to struggle with next year—there’s that learning process. Just because you have x amount of good games doesn’t mean that you have drastically improved as a player. It just means that what you could do is finally being shown. But I have to get better.”

…on his style of play:
“I’m trying to find a balance. I’m not like the next Michael Jordan, but I’m also not what everyone saw me as before I started playing in the NBA, either.”

…on race having something to do with perceived limitations in pro basketball:
“If I can be honest, yes. It’s not even close to the only reason, but it was definitely part of the reason. There’s a lot of perceptions and stereotypes of Asian-Americans that are out there today, and the fact that I’m Asian-American makes it harder to believe, even crazier, more unexpected. I’m going to have to play well for a longer period of time for certain people to believe it, because I’m Asian. And that’s just the reality of it.”

…on his shock at becoming a Houston Rocket:
“The Rockets thought I was going to be a Knick. They told me when I signed there, ‘We think it’s an 80 to 95 percent chance of that happening.’ That was consistent with what everyone was saying to me.”

…on New York, The Knicks, and the fans:
“You can’t ask for a city or a fan base to embrace somebody more than they embraced me. I know it’s kind of silly to talk about it with only two years under my belt in the league, but going in before free agency, I was like, ‘I want to play in front of these fans for the rest of my career.’ I really did. I really wanted to play in front of the Madison Square Garden fans for the rest of my career, because they’re just unbelievable.”

You can read the full story here.

Check out all of our recent Jeremy Lin coverage here.

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