The story is about a young man named Jeremy Lin.
Lin is Asian American. He played basketball at Harvard and graduated with a degree in economics. Lin was an All-Ivy League player in college, but Harvard is not exactly a basketball factory, and Lin was not drafted by an NBA team.
On July 21, 2010 he signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors, but rarely played. After 17 months of frustration and obscurity, Lin was finally waived by the Warriors on December 9, 2011. He was briefly picked up by the Houston Rockets, but was, again, promptly cut. Then, two days after Christmas 2011 he was picked up by the New York Knicks. Their plan for Lin was simple: he was never going to play. He was simply a warm body they needed to sit on the bench and compete hard in practice.
But on February 4, 2012 that changed.
The Knicks were struggling to score on the woefully bad New Jersey Nets during a less than spectacular game at Madison Square Garden. Their offense was sputtering. Injuries to key starters had left the Knicks decimated. So, trailing midway through the game, the Knicks, desperate for any spark, turned to Lin. This was his chance.
He was ready.
He reeled off 25 points and 7 assists in a stunning comeback victory. His performance electrified Madison Square Garden’s celebrity-laden crowd. By the end of the game spectators at the world’s most famous arena were chanting ‘Jeremy, Jeremy!’
A star was born.
Jeremy Lin was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Start after start, game after game, the Knicks keep winning and the Jeremy Lin story grows more unbelievable. So far he’s started 6 games. The Knicks are 6 – 0 in those games and Lin has scored more points in his first 6 starts than any other player in the last 40 years. He scored 38 points on Kobe Bryant in a victory over the Lakers, then 3 days later hit a game winning buzzer beater against Toronto.
The undersized guard from Harvard is quickly becoming one of the best players in the NBA. Fans are packing arenas just to watch him play. Asian-American women are proposing marriage to him from the stands. Media from China, Taiwan and Japan are filling th e press row at NBA arenas. Jeremy Lin is a phenomenon.
“I was skeptical,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But, our team is better with him on the floor.”
Jeremy Lin came out of nowhere to be the best NBA story of the last few decades. And it started when he was ready for his chance to perform on February 4.
Get Ready
Every person has a handful of ‘turning point’ moments in their life that truly define their future. This moment could be a job interview, a conversation with a stranger, a big account that will change the face of a small company or a meeting with a big investor. These are moments that can change the trajectory of an entire professional life. We may not know when these moments will come, we don’t know how many we get, but we do know one thing about these moments: we had better be ready for them when they arrive.
Jeremy Lin’s moment was February 4, 2012. And Lin was ready. He had been preparing for this moment his entire life. It was a primetime game at Madison Square Garden, injuries had riddled his teammates forcing his coach to insert him into the game—this was Lin’s moment. And he was ready. If Lin hadn’t been focused, hadn’t been preparing and practicing hard, if he had resigned himself to the end of the bench or been frustrated by his lack of playing time, he would have squandered his moment.
But, he was ready.
Here’s my question to you: are you ready for your moment?
It may come today, tomorrow or in 4 years. You may have no warning (or you may). Either way, you better be ready.
We only get a few of these moments in life. These are chances to change trajectory, change outcomes and dramatically alter your future. When these moments come, follow Jeremy's lead: be ready.
Get Ready for Your Big Moment - Power Training
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