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Jeremy Lin news: NBA star on spreading the gospel 'to different areas of the world'

New York Knicks Jeremy Lin chases a loose ball in the first half of their NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto. July 18, 2012 01:16am EDT | Reuters/Fred Thornhill

NBA star Jeremy Lin spoke before the World Economic Forum held in China and shared about his desire to bring the gospel to places where people have not heard it before.

Speaking at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the Chinese-American NBA player said he wants to spread the gospel and help people who are suffering from poverty.

"I want to bring Christ to a lot of different areas of the world that don't have access to understand what that's about," Lin said in an interview.

Expounding on his goal to help those who are in poverty, Lin said he would like to one day talk to underprivileged children, who are "very near and dear" to him, and ask them about their plans for the future.

He recounted stories of former teammates who never knew their parents or lived in violent neighborhoods. He said he wants to help kids who are experiencing similar situations.

"Once I saw how my teammates grew up, I thought, 'if I have a chance I'm going to do something about that," he said.

Lin was also asked about how it is to live as an Asian-American, a question that he said was often asked of him while he was still studying at Harvard. The basketball player said he learned to appreciate his identity as he grew older. He has also stopped allowing people to dictate his identity.

"A lot of that goes back to my faith," Lin said. "I'm a Christian."

Lin said his identity comes "first and foremost" from Christ.

Regarding his career, Lin said he wants to "find a home." Having played with five different teams in the last six years, Lin said he is "tired of boxes" and he wants to stop transferring from one company to another.

Lin just finished a successful season last year playing for the Charlotte Hornets. He said he wants to see what he can become while he is in his prime.

Lin also said that humility has helped him in his basketball career.

"You can't play with a passive attitude but humility is also important," the World Economic Forum quoted him in a tweet.