Former Knicks guard Jeremy Lin said the team declined a request from Kim Kardashian for him to appear on reality television after “Linsanity” took over New York in 2012.
During a Tuesday appearance on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, Lin recalled Kardashian’s request when Torre asked him about rumors that they were dating during the “Linsanity” craze — when Lin led the Knicks to 10 wins in 13 games and averaged over 22 points and nine assists after he was called up during the 2011-12 season.
“I think basically, she at that time, was filming her show … I don’t know if it was ‘Keeping up With the Kardashians’ or whatever show was happening back then,” Lin said. “But I know that she was kind of looking for a New York athlete to kind of be on this show essentially.
“So this is what I’ve heard and I don’t know if it’s true or not … that request did come in to the Knicks and that is a real request.
“Again, I don’t know if this is true or not. This is what was told to me afterwards because the request came in to the Knicks and they immediately declined it without asking [me] because they were like, ‘We’re not allowing our young second-year player to go down this route right now.’”
Torre aired a 2012 news headline by Syracuse.com that said: “Is Jeremy Lin Dating Kim Kardashian? ‘Linsanity’ Romance Rumors Fly.”
Lin — who is a guest analyst with ESPN for the 2026 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs — did not directly address the dating buzz.
Torre also showed a 2012 interview with former ESPN host Rachel Nichols, who asked Lin what the weirdest paparazzi moment he had during “Linsanity.”
“The stuff about me dating Kim Kardashian, I have no idea where that came from,” Lin said at the time, adding that he didn’t think he was her type.
Lin also turned down the cover of GQ magazine at the time.
“I just want to make sure that I’m not doing a disservice to my team by milking all of the attention because at the end of the day that’s not what I love. I love playing basketball,” Lin told Nichols.
Kardashian began dating her ex-husband, rapper Kanye West, in the spring of 2012. She married then Nets player Kris Humphries in 2011 for 72 days.
The Skims founder and West settled their divorce in 2022, and she is currently dating Formula One star, Lewis Hamilton.
Lin, who announced his retirement from professional basketball in an Instagram post last August, revealed in 2023 that he and his partner married “a couple years ago.”
They welcomed a son in 2024.
Lin had stints with the Warriors, Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks and Raptors after going undrafted out of Harvard.
He was part of the 2019 Raptors team that won the franchise’s first championship.
Lin later went on to play for the Beijing Ducks.
He most recently played for the New Taipei Kings of the P. League+ in Taiwan, alongside his brother Joseph Lin.
