Jeremy Lin, the former New York Knicks sensation whose meteoric rise during the 2011-12 NBA season was dubbed "Linsanity," has finally set the record straight on one of the wildest rumors to swirl around his sudden fame: that he dated reality TV star Kim Kardashian. Appearing as a guest on the popular gossip podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out on June 9, 2026, Lin offered a candid look back at the origins of the rumor, the Knicks’ behind-the-scenes response, and the surreal level of attention that engulfed his life in those heady months.
"Stuff about me dating Kim Kardashian," Lin recalled when asked about his craziest paparazzi moment. "I mean, I have no idea where that came from." According to The Sporting News and several other outlets, Lin explained that he was never actually approached about dating or appearing on Kardashian’s show. Instead, he learned after the fact that Kardashian, then filming Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Kourtney & Kim Take New York, had requested a New York athlete for her reality series. The Knicks, protective of their new star, immediately declined the request—without ever consulting Lin himself.
"So this is what I've heard and I don't know if it's true or not," Lin said on the podcast. "I've heard that request did come in to the Knicks and as a real request. I think she at that time was filming her show... But I know that she was looking for a New York athlete to kind of be on this show essentially. Is it true? Is it not?" Lin continued, still expressing some uncertainty about the details. "The Knicks immediately declined without asking us. We're not allowing our young second-year player to go down this route right now."
Host Pablo Torre jumped in to put the team’s protectiveness in perspective. "They would not let me interview you. That's how protective the Knicks were of you at the time." Lin, laughing, replied, "I didn't even know that." The story paints a vivid picture of a franchise determined to shield its breakout star from the pitfalls of instant celebrity and the relentless glare of the media spotlight.
For those who lived through the Linsanity phenomenon, the rumor of a Lin-Kardashian romance was everywhere. Syracuse.com ran a headline in 2012: "Is Jeremy Lin Dating Kim Kardashian? 'Linsanity' Romance Rumors Fly." Lin, however, consistently denied any romantic connection. In a 2012 interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, when asked about the weirdest paparazzi moment, Lin replied, "The stuff about me dating Kim Kardashian, I have no idea where that came from," adding with a touch of humility, "I didn’t think I was her type."
Lin’s reluctance to embrace the trappings of fame extended beyond reality TV. He turned down a GQ magazine cover at the time, explaining to Nichols, "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." According to The Sporting News and Us Weekly, Lin’s focus was always on the game, not the circus swirling around him.
But the intensity of the attention was something Lin couldn’t escape. He moved from his brother’s couch to a Manhattan penthouse during Linsanity, but even there, privacy was elusive. "The paparazzi and the fans and everything were so crazy, I couldn’t really leave unless it was midnight or something," Lin told Torre. "I’d sneak out, go out the back entrance. But there was a stretch when I couldn’t leave without being followed. I was on, I don’t know, the 35th floor or something, and I would always look out the window and just see which cars were down there by the lobby, [asking myself], ‘Can I leave right now or will I be followed?’"
The timing of Kardashian’s request—and the subsequent rumor—coincided with a period of dramatic change in her own life. She had just come off a 72-day marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries in 2011 and began dating rapper Kanye West in the spring of 2012. Kardashian and West’s relationship quickly became public, and the couple went on to marry in 2014, ultimately divorcing in 2022. They share four children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. As of June 2026, Kardashian is in a relationship with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, whom she supported at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this month.
Lin’s own personal life has also moved on from the Linsanity era. He married his partner a couple of years before 2023, as he revealed in a Facebook post, and the couple welcomed a son in 2024. Lin announced his retirement from professional basketball in August 2025 via Instagram, capping off a career that saw him play for the Warriors, Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks, and Raptors—where he was part of the 2019 championship team—before stints in China and Taiwan, most recently with the New Taipei Kings alongside his brother Joseph Lin.
Reflecting on the rumor’s persistence, Lin’s account suggests it was less about romance than about the collision of celebrity culture, timing, and a young athlete’s sudden ascent. The Knicks’ decision to keep Kardashian’s request from reaching Lin was rooted in a desire to protect their player from distractions. As HITC noted, "Kardashian’s team wanted a New York athlete for television, the Knicks protected their breakout player from extra attention, and Lin became attached to a rumor that survived because it mixed celebrity, timing and one of the strangest sports fame explosions of the 2010s."
The story also highlights how quickly narratives can spiral in the age of social media and relentless tabloid coverage. What began as a behind-the-scenes request for a television cameo became, through rumor and speculation, a full-blown myth about a celebrity romance that never was. Lin’s experience is a reminder of the human side of overnight fame—the confusion, the scrutiny, and the challenges of navigating a world where every move is watched and every rumor can take on a life of its own.
Today, both Jeremy Lin and Kim Kardashian have found stability in their personal and professional lives, far removed from the whirlwind of 2012. Yet, the story of a Knicks guard and a reality TV mogul—linked not by romance, but by the unpredictable forces of fame—remains a fascinating snapshot of a unique cultural moment.