Jeremy Lin’s first basketball mentor? His grandma

New National Basketball Association sensation Jeremy Lin may have his grandmother to thank for his sudden rise to sports stardom. Lin got his start in the sport from his grandmother, who taught him how to play the game at a young age, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported. CNA quoted Lin Heng-cheng, a cousin of the NBA star’s father based in Changhua County in central Taiwan, as saying Jeremy – now a star guard for the New York Knicks – got his first taste of the sport while playing with his grandmother in California. Earlier, Jeremy had been quoted as attributing his interest in basketball to his father, an NBA fan who urged his three sons to play basketball as a hobby and exercise. The CNA report said Lin’s paternal grandmother – now based in Taipei - moved to the US to help take care of him shortly after he was born and lived with his family until he turned three. “The Harvard graduate enjoyed playing basketball even from a young age and often played on the community court with her,” the CNA report quoted Lin Heng-cheng as saying. Lin Heng-cheng added Lin remains closest to his grandmother among all of her grandchildren, and he visits her in Taipei every time he returns to Taiwan. Jeremy had endeared himself to basketball fans with his humility, underdog image and battling style. — LBG, GMA News