
Stuyvesant High School students said they were disappointed Friday to learn that Knicks standout Jeremy Lin declined their YouTube invitation to be their commencement speaker.
Lin, who went from little-known, undrafted Harvard grad to NBA phenom, took to Twitter Thursday to say he was “so honored to have been invited.”
“I can’t make it BUT im making a response video and will visit if possible!” he tweeted.
Student class president Eric Han said Lin was the top choice for commencement speaker at the June 25 graduation after polling more than 800 seniors at the school. The student body is 72 percent Asian-American.
“People are disappointed, but we understand,” said junior Maggie Wu. “It’s in June and that’s when the conference starts so they’re going to be really busy. They have to get in shape so they can win.”
Michael Winn, a junior, said Lin has become a role model for many students.
"Everyone likes him," he said. "He's every Stuyvesant High School student's dream."
Knowing Lin has produced his own YouTube videos and is an avid user of social media, Han set about producing the YouTube invitation.
Students rapped and delivered their heart-felt pleas, with teachers and the basketball coach trying to close the deal.
“I’m disappointed that he can’t make it to graduation, but glad he took the time to send a tweet,” Han said.
Maybe it was the free time Lin had on the bench during the Knicks' win Wednesday over Orlando when he sat out to rest his sore knee, but the students' video, which has gotten more than 28,000 hits, got his attention.
With reporting by Lance Luckey