 Lin said that he understands Mandarin , though he could use some help speaking it ; he can also read and write a little . He took a few Mandarin classes while attending Harvard to try to improve . After joining the Knicks in 2012 , Lin slept on a couch in his brother 's one @-@ bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan , New York City . The night before his breakout game , he slept on the couch of teammate Landry Fields . He relocated to a luxury condo in White Plains , New York , after his Knicks contract became guaranteed . 
