Carmelo Anthony recently expressed a desire to “clear the air” with his former Knicks teammate Jeremy Lin, more than a decade after the phenomenon known as “Linsanity” captivated New York back in 2012.
During the latest episode of the “7pm, Brooklyn” podcast, Anthony invited Lin to join him for a candid conversation, although he didn’t delve into specifics about what needed addressing.
“Jeremy Lin, I invite you to sit on the couch,” Anthony said. “Let’s have a conversation. Let’s clear the air of a lot of stuff that’s out there. And I love what you’re doing right now, dude… come and tell the truth.”
Fans of the Knicks remember the buzz surrounding Lin’s rapid rise during the 2011-12 season, which sparked rumors of a rift between him and Anthony.
Upon being called up, Lin averaged over 22 points and nearly nine assists per game, leading the Knicks to 10 wins in 13 matches.
At that time, Anthony was dealing with a groin injury.
Following that season, he sparked controversy by labeling Lin’s three-year, $25 million deal with the Houston Rockets as “ridiculous.” There were indications that Anthony felt envious of Lin’s swift success, suggesting it disrupted the plans he had for the Knicks.
This isn’t the first time Anthony has addressed this topic. In May 2024, during a podcast episode with Baron Davis, a teammate from 2012, Anthony seemed to clarify that internally, they supported Lin’s success.
“People always talk about it… nobody liked Linsanity… personally, you know what I’m saying? They throw it out there,” Anthony mentioned.
He further elaborated, “But people don’t know that behind the scenes we were very supportive of this… Linsanity could have easily done a $100 million business. That’s what I try to tell him.”
According to Davis, Lin wasn’t particularly receptive to that input.
Lin has acknowledged some beliefs that Anthony’s jealousy might have influenced his exit from the Knicks but opted not to add fuel to the speculation in a 2022 interview. He noted, “I know, and I’m being honest about this, that there were multiple points of conflict completely outside of Melo in what was going on…”
Lin also mentioned that when coach Mike D’Antoni resigned, there was already internal discord in the organization. However, he claimed that not everything was as straightforward as it seemed. “I don’t know whose fault it is, but I know there were multiple dissenting voices,” he reflected.
After going undrafted from Harvard, Lin had brief stints with various teams, including the Warriors and Rockets, and ultimately was part of the Raptors squad that clinched their first championship in 2019.
He later played for the Beijing Ducks.
Recently, he had been playing for the New Taipei Kings in Taiwan’s P. League+ alongside his brother, Joseph Lin, before announcing his retirement from professional basketball last August on social media.
