Basketball Largess

NBA player (and alumnus) Jeremy Lin gives $1 million for financial aid and Lavietes renovation.

Jeremy Lin, undergraduate star, in action against Dartmouth, January 2010

Photograph by Jon Chase/Harvard Public Affairs and Communcations

Jeremy Lin ’10, a Crimson basketball star and now a successful NBA professional, used the occasion of the season-opening Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics game today to unveil a $1-million gift to the University, to support undergraduate financial aid and the comprehensive renovation of Lavietes Pavilion, the campus arena, now under way.

Although a few Crimson athletes have significant, extended, and financially rewarding professional careers (New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 comes to mind), Lin is an especially high-profile example; throughout his career, he has attracted a great deal of attention as an Ivy, Asian-American player in a league with few such members. (The announcement comes, fortuitously, in the middle of litigation claiming that Harvard College discriminates against Asian-American applicants for admission—claims that the University vigorously rejects.)

In Harvard’s announcement, Lin stated, “Without question, my time at Harvard prepared me well for success both on and off the court. I’m honored to put that same world-class education in reach for deserving students and to support improvements to the facilities where I spent countless hours practicing and competing.”

Read the announcement here.

Read more articles by John S. Rosenberg

You might also like

Harvard Adopts Reforms as Higher Ed Turmoil Continues

University creates new “interfaith engagement” role; Columbia, Brown settle with the government.

“Do You Find That Reasonable?” Harvard Undergraduates Discuss a Changing University

A student panel grapples—civilly—with shifting policies and differing opinions.

Remembering Tom Lehrer

The mathematician and satirist kept Harvard in his thoughts—and lyrics.

Most popular

Hold the Fries

Baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes are better.

The Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Harvard Layoffs Continue, with More to Come

In the wake of federal government actions, several Harvard schools and institutes are cutting costs.

Explore More From Current Issue

Four Harvard Medal recipients shown in a side-by-side portrait collage, smiling and dressed in formal or casual attire.

Four people honored for exceptional service to the University

Four 2025 Centennial Medal recipients standing outdoors in a row, smiling, with greenery and a brick building behind them.

Four alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.

A woman and a horse jump off a large platform into water

Scrapbooking a woman who rode horses into the sea