The ‘Linsanity’ of Jeremy Lin's hairdos over the years

As Jeremy Lin tears up the Chinese Basketball Association this season for the Beijing Ducks, he's returned to form in many ways.

One of the most notable " aesthetically speaking " is his haircut. With shaved sides and a short, straight top, his Beijing styling looks somewhat similar to his hair during the "Linsanity" craze, when the Taiwanese-American first shot to fame in the NBA in 2011.

Lin has long been a style icon off the court, setting trends with his fashion sense and his eclectic, sometimes controversial, hairstyles.

Here we've collected a definitive list of his most memorable hairdos, in chronological order.

Palo Alto: The So Cal Beginnings

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#tbt to my hs days…congrats PALY on winning the championship a few days ago!! and all you online haters who wanna talk about me looking extra "asian" in this picture can go ahead and bump it! #lovethegame #bayareaaa #dreambig #threestripes

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Mar 9, 2017 at 6:54pm PST

Lin's basketball career started at his high school in Palo Alto, California. He was a young Asian-American player fighting racial profiling and was eventually named to first-team All-State and became Player of the Year during the 2005-06 season, his senior year.

Back then, his hair was all business, short on the back and sides, a stand-out kid looking to fit in.

Mr Ivy League

Lin's road to the NBA went through Harvard University. He did not receive an athletic scholarship, so he had to hit the books as much as he hit the gym.

It was here that Lin experienced regular racists taunts. He found himself once again feeling like an outsider even though his play on the court was phenomenal.

Lin let his hair down " a bit " growing some bangs, but that was the extent of it during his formative years.

Linsanity goes Clark Kent

One of Lin's most memorable early career fashion moments did not take place on the court.

In 2012, while playing for the New York Knicks during peak "Linsanity," the point guard found himself on the bench with an injury during the Eastern Conference finals.

Lin, looking like someone straight from the pages of GQ, sported a smart suit and even smarter looking glasses. Superman now had his alter-ego, a basketball Clark Kent.

Houston Faux Hawk

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Fan Appreciation Week Day 3: Rockets Impersonation Contest! Post (and tag @jlin7) a picture on instagram of you impersonating a Rockets player(s). Heres my sample of @jharden13 on the left and @chandler_parsons on the right. Be creative and winners announced tonight!

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Jun 5, 2013 at 11:03am PDT

After Linsanity in the Big Apple, Lin found himself in Texas, where he played two seasons for the Houston Rockets from 2012-14.

It was here he played alongside another NBA style icon " James Harden " who is known for his legendary beard.

Lin would don his first "faux hawk" as he started to foreshadow future hairstyles.

Off to Hollywood

Up next for Lin would be a return to the West Coast and one season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lin, in very Hollywood fashion, incorporated a clean-shaven side part during his initial media conference.

It was a subtle but sublime move. It was one of Lin's classiest hairstyles over the years but still managed to incorporate a bit of flair. How very LA of him.

The Mohawk

Up until this point, Lin's hairstyles had been far from newsworthy, but when he debuted this doozy for the Charlotte Hornets in 2015, he started garnering off-the-court attention.

Also in 2015, Lin would make his GQ cover photo debut, decked out in a suit and a jumper, but sadly, no "hawk" reaching for the sky like a defender trying to block a perimeter shot.

Don't call it a Slick Back

For every amazing Jeremy Lin hairstyle, there seems to be a few missteps as counterbalances.

We're not sure what he was going for in Charlotte, where he played 78 games for the Hornets during the 2015-16 season, but we now know what happens when you slick back a Mohawk.

Half Italian mobster, half Grease lightning, you have to give the guy credit, he was open to new ideas when it came to his barbershop trips.

Dreadlocks and Cultural Appropriation

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Walking on Water 🌊🌊 "" My rookie year my dad designed this JL7 for logo for me which represents two feet walking on water. As long as I have faith in Christ, He's capable to do the supernatural through me!! Less than a year later, Linsanity happened! Be faithful and let God do His thing! #Matthew14:29

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Apr 4, 2018 at 6:44pm PDT

Lin's dreadlocks, which he got in 2017 while playing for the Brooklyn Nets, caused so much of a stir he ended up penning a The Players' Tribune essay on the subject titled "So … About My Hair."

Some accused Lin of cultural appropriation, most notably Kenyon Martin, who said he was "disappointed" that Lin got the hairstyle.

Lin took the higher ground, as he has throughout his career, while slyly pointing out that Martin has Chinese characters tattooed on his arm.

Game, set and match.

The Jimmy Neutron

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Secret Project lollll. Didnt think itd be possible to do this ha #afrolife #jimmyneutron

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:13pm PST

With so much length up top, Lin had lots to work with for a few years. His Instagram is a brilliant cache of some hairstyles he tried out briefly, one of them this gem in 2017.

Lin called it his "Jimmy Neutron" look, named after a Nickelodeon cartoon TV series that ran for three seasons in the early 2000s.

A Return to Form

Lin would publicly sport his dreadlocks all the way to Atlanta, where he played for the Hawks for part of one season (2018-19). If Instagram's chronological timeline layout can be trusted, he lopped them off sometime in the early autumn of 2018.

He went back to basics during his ninth year in the league, noting he was injury-free and ready to make a statement with his game " not hair " again.

Heading North and Grabbing a Ring

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Hahahhaha!! Demanding that I go down in the raptors history books with this pic pls lol #WeTheNorth #callingAdamSilvernow

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Jun 19, 2019 at 5:21pm PDT

Lin's last season in the NBA (potentially) was a fortuitous one. While he didn't play much, he snagged a ring with the Toronto Raptors as Kawhi Leonard led the charge for the NBA's only Canadian team during the 2018-19 season.

We also got this gem from TSN's Bar Down " what would Lin look like as a retro NBA player you ask? Well, ask no more, you have your answer.

Lightning Strikes

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Season finale of 我要打篮球 is tonight so tune in to check out me and @allendeng1021 squad!! Through the first 9 episodes, we have over 610 MILLION views and became a top 3 China show! As always, nothing but love to all my fans. Growing hoops in Asia and globally has always been a top goal for me and I hope the show inspires the next generation of kids to relentlessly chase your dreams 💪🏼💪🏼 #电光飞侠 #FLASH⚡️

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Oct 23, 2019 at 1:37am PDT

Lin failed to snag an NBA contract for the start of the 2019-20 season, so he began a fresh start with the Beijing Ducks of the CBA.

So far he has torn up the league, putting up stupidly good numbers. However, he has yet to make his way back to the NBA.

One wonders if China may be a good place for him to play out his career, rather than trying to get back on to a bench in North America.

One thing is certain, since moving to China, Lin's fashion and hairstyle, sporting a slick side 'Z' shave here, have reached new heights.
As for Lin, he seems to embrace and all of the conversations about his hair.

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Ok…this is just insane!! @windowsofangels with some seriousss fan artwork thank you!

A post shared by Jeremy Lin 林書豪 (@jlin7) on Sep 10, 2018 at 4:44pm PDT

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