Jeremy Lin has always been one of the most thoughtful voices in basketball, known for his honesty, humility, and willingness to reflect on both the highs and lows of his career. In a recent Instagram video, the former NBA guard opened up about a pivotal moment during his time with the Houston Rockets, detailing how one difficult yet honest conversation with James Harden completely changed their relationship and in many ways, his perspective on communication as a teammate.
In his Instagram post, Lin recalled that early friction with Harden.
“My second year with the Rockets, James Harden was giving me bad body language on court, looking at me, just giving me side eyes, and I didn’t like it. So one day I found him, and when I say speak up, I mean speak up productivel, meaning you speak up firm, but with love.”
“If you’re just like toxically speaking up, that’s not what I’m saying. You got to make sure you’re doing it with a firmness, but with love. And so I pulled him aside and said, can I talk to you? And I just shared with him, I’m like, dude, I need the ball, but you’re a better player.”
“And when I signed with the Rockets, you weren’t on this roster, and the ball was supposed to be in my hands. Now the ball is always in your hands, and I’m doing something I’ve never done ever in my life, which is learn how to play off-ball. Everything I spent the last three months doing was so I could learn how to fit in next to you.”
“So I shared all this, and after that, me and his relationship completely changed, like a 180. He never looked at me sideways. He was very encouraging. We were able to have good conversations. Our chemistry got better. But that was an example where I spoke up for myself, and it landed.”
Lin joined the Rockets in 2012 after a breakout season with the New York Knicks, where ‘Linsanity’ became a global phenomenon. When he signed with Houston, the plan was for Lin to be the starting point guard and primary playmaker. However, everything shifted when the Rockets traded for James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder just before the start of the 2012-13 season. Suddenly, Lin, once the centerpiece of an offense, had to adapt to playing off-ball next to one of the league’s most ball-dominant guards.
That season, Lin and Harden helped lead Houston to a 45-37 record, clinching the eighth seed in the Western Conference and marking the franchise’s first playoff appearance in four years. While they were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games, the season represented a step forward for the organization and for Lin, a period of personal growth amid career turbulence.
Statistically, Lin averaged 13.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game in his first season alongside Harden, shooting 44.1% from the field and 33.9% from three. His numbers dipped slightly the following year, to 12.5 points and 4.1 assists, as Harden’s role grew even larger, but Lin remained one of the team’s most consistent contributors off the dribble.
Beyond the stats, though, Lin’s story sheds light on the often unseen side of NBA life, the interpersonal challenges that come with stardom, ego, and role adjustments. His willingness to confront Harden, not with anger but with honesty and respect, helped turn a strained dynamic into a productive partnership.
It’s a lesson that transcends basketball, one about communication, humility, and learning to speak truth with grace. For Jeremy Lin and James Harden, that conversation did exactly that. It turned tension into teamwork and reminded both men that leadership doesn’t always come from scoring points, but from speaking truth.
