NBA star Jeremy Lin led a basketball exchange program for students of NTU, National Taiwan Normal University, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology at the NTU Sports Center on June 13.

Lin, whose father is an alumnus at NTU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, said to the crowd, “I heard NTU students were the smartest,” and jokingly added, “The number-one ranked university in the world is Harvard, number two is NTU!”

When asked about his life at Harvard, Lin shared, “I didn’t like to go to class.  Harvard was OK.  Sometimes it was really fun, but there was really too much homework.”  Speaking further on his life as a student, Lin said he chose economics as a major after he tried to prepare for mechanical engineering while in high school and found it too difficult.

Lin’s event at the NTU Sports Center was his only scheduled meeting with university students during his seven-day visit to Taiwan.  Speaking at the event, the basketball star recalled his time as a Harvard student, his experience of choosing a career in professional basketball, and his rise to fame through the Linsanity fan craze.  He also shared advice about how to confront frustrations and racial prejudice and define the value of success.