Jeremy Lin is one place from making the NBA All-Star 2016 roster as he is ranked eighth among the guards in the Eastern Conference teams. If the first Chinese-American NBA player makes the roster, it will be the first time for him to be voted as an NBA All-Star and to play in an NBA All-Star game.
In the third returns of NBA All-Star 2016 voting, Lin has 155,475 votes while Dwayne Wade and Kyrie Irving rank first and second, respectively. Lin is ranked just behind Derrick Rose from Chicago Bulls.
While Lin is thriving as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate for the Charlotte Hornets, meaning he's doing extremely well as a benched player, he is the only Hornets player on the list for all-star game voting returns.
His votes are ahead of other players such as Tony Parker, Damian Lillard, Isaiah Thomas, Reggie Johnson, DeAndre Jordan, and Dirk Nowitzki.
As for his stats, Lin is averaging 12.3 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 3.1 assists per game this season for the Hornets. He is shooting 42.6% from the field and 31.9% from the three-point field goal. What's impressive is that he is doing this in only 26.5 minutes per game.
In October's charity concert in Beijing, Lin was invited to be a guest speaker, during which he shared how his faith helped him overcome the curve balls that life throws at him. At this time last season, his career was drowning as he played with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers' squad.
"I think this past season, the one thing I took away was I really felt God's love for me," Lin said as the audience erupted in cheers. "God has always shown his love for me throughout my whole life. I think if you look at my life, every bad situation, God always turns to a good situation.
"Last season was no different. There were so many games where I'd be so upset after, and I just remember- there were so many nights on the plane or in the car or at home where I'd just start praying. Every single time, God gave me this tremendous peace.
"I think that's when I realized - I might not know where I'm headed next in life, but I can trust who I'm following. God's love is bigger than anything life can throw at me. My response to God's love to me is it made me start to love other people," Lin said.
Lin has since then started a Bible Study for his teammates and began spending time with homeless individuals. Moreover, he has recently asked for prayers that God would soften the hearts of his non-believing teammates.
NBA fans have until Jan. 18 to cast their votes for their favorite players to be on the 2016 NBA All-Stars roster at vote.nba.com, NBA App, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google. Those who voted will be entered into a sweepstake for tickets to the 2016 All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
The 65th NBA All-Star game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Fans can watch the NBA All-Star game live on TNT at 8 p.m. ET.
Here is more info from NBA.com on how to vote. Fans are able to vote up to 10 times per day on each platform listed below.
How to vote:
- NBA.com voting page at NBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day on NBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser.
- NBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS. Fans can fill out one full ballot per day.
- Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with the player's first and last name or handle, along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE. Each tweet may include only one player's name. Fans can vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the All-Star voting period.
- Facebook: Use the player's first and last name along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE in a post on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another's Facebook post. Fans can post votes for 10 unique players per day, and each vote may contain only one player's name.
- Instagram: Post an original photo with the hashtag #NBAVOTE and the player's first and last name in the photo caption. Fans can vote for 10 unique players per day, and each vote may contain only one player's name.
- SMS: Text the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA") on any wireless device. Fans can vote for 10 different players per day per phone number via SMS voting by sending 10 separate SMS messages, each one with a different player's last name. Message and data rates may apply.
- Google Search: Search "NBA Vote All-Star" or "NBA Vote Team Name" (ex: NBA Vote Celtics) and use respective team cards to select players. Voters can submit one vote per player per day, with up to 10 total votes per day.
- Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblog in China.
The voting program started on December 11 and will continue through January 19. The starting lineup will be revealed on Jan. 21. Coaches will pick bench players, and full rosters will be announced on January 28.
All 2016 balloting results can be found here.
