Jeremy Lin Praises God After Signing $36 Million Contract With Brooklyn Nets
Christian basketball star Jeremy Lin says that he is "thankful" to be moving on to the next phase of his NBA career after signing a mutli-season deal with the Brooklyn Nets Friday.
The 27-year-old Lin, who played last season with the Charlotte Hornets and averaged 11.7 points per game, has agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Nets, sources told ESPN's Marc Stein.
The three-season deal will likely provide the former Harvard University guard with a little bit more stability moving forward in his career as he has played for three different teams over the last three seasons and has been on five different teams since he started playing in the NBA in 2010.
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Lin, an avid Christian who is not afraid to hide his faith, confirmed the deal on Friday morning when he took to Twitter to praise God and express gratitude for his new opportunity.
"The journey continues ... thankful for the next chapter!! #Godisgood," Lin tweeted, along with a photo of himself dribbling a basketball in a No. 7 Nets jersey.
The journey continues...thankful for the next chapter!! #Godisgoodpic.twitter.com/1PLutlFbyO
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) July 1, 2016
Lin also sent out another tweet thanking the Hornets and their fans the opportunity he was presented with last year.
"Thank you @hornets for the opportunity last year," Lin tweeted. "I'll miss you #BuzzCity"
Thank you @hornets for the opportunity last year...I'll miss you #BuzzCity
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) July 1, 2016
Although Lin signed a two-year, $4.3 million deal with Charlotte last offseason, he exercised an early-termination option that allowed Lin to enter free agency and seek a better contract and more financial security.
Lin will now be earning about $12.1 million in annual salary, compared the the $2.1 million he earned last year with Charlotte, Yahoo reports.
Lin, who turns 28 in August, had also met with another NBA team this offseason. According to ESPN, Lin met with officials from the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night in his hometown of Palo Alto, California.
On Thursday, Lin tweeted out a line from Psalm 37:7, which states "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him."
Also on Thursday, Lin tweeted a "reminder to self."
"Don't miss today because you're worried about tomorrow. Today is a gift," he tweeted.
Signing with Brooklyn allows Lin to reunite with Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, who was one of Lin's assistant coaches when he played with the New York Knicks in 2011-2012, where he had the best year of his career by averaging 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game.
It was when Lin was with the Knicks that the "Linsanity" craze got started and he became a more recognized sports name by unexpectedly leading the Knicks to a winning record in the 2011-2012 season.
