NEW YORK – After one more starry performance Sunday, New York Knicks phenomenon Jeremy Lin delivered a plea to the media in Taiwan where his grandmother and family live: Back off.“The special request I have is for the media back in Taiwan to give (my family) space, because they can’t even go to work without being bombarded, without people following them,” Lin said at Madison Square Garden.
“I want people to respect their privacy.”
His paternal grandmother, Lin Chu Muen, 85, lives in the Taipei region of the country, as does other extended family.
Lin, an Asian-American raised in Northern California and educated at Harvard, has become an international star since the New York Knicks inserted him into the lineup two weeks ago. He had 28 points, 14 assists, five steals and seven turnovers in the Knicks’ 104-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Lin moved to 6-1 as a starter and has elevated the Knicks back to .500 with a 16-16 record. As a starter, Lin is averaging 24.6 points, 8.9 assists and 1.9 steals.
Lin also said he had no hard feelings over a corporate NBA partner website using an apparent ethnic slur in a headline early Saturday. He said he accepted the apology, and believed that there was no ill intent.
