Everything Jeremy Lin, Carmelo Anthony Said About Feud, Kobe Bryant, Knicks Tenure, More

Jeremy Lin appeared on former New York Knicks teammate Carmelo Anthony's podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, to discuss a host of topics on an episode that dropped Friday.

Early in the episode (51-second mark), Lin revealed that he and Anthony did "clear the air" in private about the past, which was his stated goal before he went public on Melo's podcast.

"Basically I asked every last question I had: 'did that happen? What happened there? What happened here?' But it was honest. It was direct, it was honest and we were able to definitely clear the air. Obviously perception is reality in certain situations…And that's the thing about that whole stretch was there was a lot that I was unsure about. And so the narratives come, but to be able to talk it out, I appreciate that. And so my biggest thing was when I think back on my career, because I recently retired, I've never wanted my story to be me versus anybody else, which we had talked about. And I think at the end of all of this, if my name comes up or my story comes up and it's me versus [Carmelo] or if we're ever at a point where someone has to choose sides, then I think we failed."

Anthony also stated that he wasn't "jealous" of the 'Linsanity' era, which largely occurred while he was out with an injury in February 2012 (5:45 mark).

"I had to figure my s--t. I was injured. I was hurt. I had to think about how fast I'm going to come back, what I'm going to do, how the f--k I'm going to go help this team, how I got to lead this team. I'm in a different position than [Jeremy] is. So I got to deal with a whole bunch of s--t. Forget being jealous of what [Jeremy's] doing. I want him to keep going. Game win in D.C. Yo, keep going. Toronto. Yo, keep going."

Part of the Linsanity era included a phenomenal performance against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden. Lin scored 38 points in a 92-85 win.

"They about to play Kobe," Anthony said (6:21 mark). "Well, we about to play the Lakers. Kobe is ... I'm laughing and joking with him about, yo ... You going to get your ass bust. He like, 'Who the f--k is Jeremy Lin?' He said that in the media. So when he said that it stemmed from the conversation we had just had the night before and he was tired of me talking about [Jeremy] to [Kobe]...So I say that to say, it was always because nobody knew, but I was a part of it."

(On the day of the game, Bryant told reporters he wasn't too aware of 'Linsanity', though he did say he knew who Lin was.)

Eventually, 'Linsanity' ended, and Lin's career with the Knicks did as well shortly thereafter. Lin went to the Rockets on a three-year, $25 million contract in restricted free agency in the summer of 2012.

He said on the podcast that he wanted to remain with the Knicks on a much lesser deal but that his agent told him he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"I've actually never spoken publicly about my exit from New York until today," Lin said (34:27 mark). "And the only reason why is because now we have had that conversation. And so for me, it's like I'm sitting there like, 'I got to go back to New York. We got to find any which way.' And New York, they could have offered me three years, nine million, but I didn't even get that… So I go to Houston, Houston gives me this offer and I'm like, I swear to you, I get on the phone with my agent and I'm like, 'I don't want to take it.' He's like, 'You don't have a choice.'"

Lin also addressed the end of his Knicks era from his side of things, including his reaction to hearing that not everyone in the locker room was all-in on the Linsanity era (24:56).

"You got to think from my perspective, everything kind of came and went so fast and now I'm not on the Knicks anymore. And after that, I hear publicly a coach saying something and three teammates saying stuff publicly about like, 'oh, Linsanity didn't vibe with everybody in the locker room.' And so I'm like, 'you got to think, Melo, I'm hearing this and I'm trying to piece together the story.'"

The 'Linsanity' era was an incredible time to be a Knicks fan, even if was only for a brief moment in time. Lin returned to the Garden for the ongoing NBA Finals, telling Lin told Erich Richter of the New York Post that the team invited him back for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals.

After New York's 107-106 victory in the latter contest, the team is one win away from its first championship since 1973.