Sometimes guys who only made an impact for a short period of time make bank. Other times, players can make money in a variety of ways even if they're impact on the court was short-lived. With that in mind, relatively speaking, we're looking at Jeremy Lin's net worth in 2020.

It’s been more than a year since Jeremy Lin last played for an NBA team, as he spent a season playing for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and was named an All Star in the league. But the 32-year old point guard announced that he will leave China and the CBA after the season in the hopes to get another shot at playing in the NBA.

He spoke about the ups and downs of his 10-year career and how he went from being “the most popular person on the planet to being ashamed to go out” after his struggles with injuries while playing for different teams. Despite a strong showing during his stint in the CBA, it remains to be seen whether the Taiwanese-American will get another chance to play in the NBA after last playing for the Toronto Raptors in 2019, where he won his first championship. 

Jeremy Lin's net worth in 2020 (estimate) $40 million

But even if Lin doesn’t play another second in the NBA, he still has made almost $65 million over 10 seasons playing for eight different teams while also having endorsements, especially at the height of his popularity earlier in the past decade. According to Wealthy Genius, Lin’s net worth is currently at $40 million. His contract with the Beijing Ducks earned him $3 million annually, although he announced he would leave after one season to prepare himself for the NBA and “continue his greatest dream.” His popularity with the New york Knicks also helped Lin secure endorsements from Nike, Adidas, Steiner Sports, and Volvo. 

This is a far cry from Lin’s humble beginnings in the NBA, when he went undrafted in the 2010 Draft after playing four seasons with the Harvard Crimson in the Ivy League. After receiving a Summer League invite from the Dallas Mavericks and playing for the team, he received offers from various teams and chose the Golden State Warriors, which plays in the Bay Area where he grew up. Lin, however, played just 29 games for the Warriors in his rookie season as he struggled to find playing time next to two ball-dominant guards in Steph Curry and Monta Ellis. He was assigned to the team’s D-League (now G-League) affiliate, the Reno Big Horns, and made just $473,000 during his rookie season.  

After a stint in the CBA during the NBA lockout, Lin was waived by the Warriors, signed by the Houston Rockets, and waived again. He was then claimed by the Knicks off waivers, but had to play behind point guards Tony Douglas, Mike Bibby, and new acquisition Baron Davis. But with the Knicks losing and their guard rotation dealing with multiple injuries, Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni decided to play Lin, who had only played sparingly for most of the season.

It was then that Lin was promoted to the starting lineup, marking the start of what became known as Linsanity, where he helped the Knicks win seven straight games and back into the playoffs while scoring the most points of any player since the NBA/ABA merger in his first five starts. An injury, however, prevented him from finishing the season and playing in the playoffs, and he finished with averages of 18.5 points and 7.6 assists since being named as a starter. 

Despite his popularity, Lin made just $762,000 during his time with the Knicks. The following offseason, he received offers from several teams, including a potential three-year, $25 million offer from the Houston Rockets that New York ultimately did not match, ending his stint with the Knicks. Lin would play the most number of games of his career with the Rockets, averaging 13.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. He helped the Rockets to 45 and 54 win seasons, but the team suffered consecutive first round losses in the playoffs. 

In the final year of his deal, the Rockets traded Lin to the Los Angeles Lakers, which finished the season with a 21-61 record in his lone season for the team. After the Lakers’ slow start, head coach Byron Scott made the decision to bench Lin in favor of Ronnie Price. The following offseason, Lin once again hit the free agency market, and was signed by the Charlotte Hornets to a two-year, $4.3 million deal, and found a role as a sixth man for a team that was in playoff contention, helping the team to a 48-34 record, the team’s best finish since 2000. But after a strong season, he declined the player option on the second year of his deal to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Brooklyn Nets ended up signing Lin to a three-year, $36 million deal, but his stint with the Nets was plagued with injuries, and he ended up playing just 37 games over two seasons. He averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, while shooting 43.7% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range with the Nets, his best numbers since his time with the Knicks. However, his second season in Brooklyn ended after just one game, after he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. The following season, the Nets dealt him to the Atlanta Hawks, where he would play 51 games before agreeing to a buyout with the team. 

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In February 2019, Lin signed for the rest of the season with the Raptors, and was given a chance to once again join a contender. The deal would pay him just $697,000, similar to his salaries when he was just starting out in the NBA with the Warriors and Knicks. The point guard’s playing time dwindled in the playoffs, but the Raptors eventually won the title after beating the Warriors in six games, making Lin the first Asian American to win an NBA championship. In free agency the following offseason, with no offers coming his way, Lin lamented that he felt that the NBA had “kind of given up on him,” and chose to sign with Beijing in the CBA.

At 32 years old and entering his 11th year of professional basketball, Lin will be making another leap of faith by leaving the CBA in the hopes of playing for another NBA team. But his career has been all about taking leaps of faith, from joining the league as an undrafted guard out of Harvard to finding success with the Knicks to finally winning a title with the Raptors. But even if he doesn’t find any takers in his return to the NBA, Lin’s story and his net worth are proof of how far he has come and how successful his basketball journey has been.

Nevertheless, were you surprised by Jeremy Lin's net worth in 2020?