What's up with Jeremy Lin's hair?

Jeremy Lin's hair-dos and don'ts have evolved through the years.

SO, ... what can you say about Jeremy Lin's hair?

The hair style sported by Jeremy Lin that caught GQ's attention.

How a man wears his hair says a lot about the guy, so they say. I used to believe that.

We all go through "phases"  in our tonsorial life. I went through several hairstyles in my attempt to bring attention to myself. From the "good boy" look with lots of pomade, rebellious Sal Mineo style with lots of pomade, California relaxed surfer style, the modified "mod" Beatle-like cut, long past the collar, my "adult" look with lots of mousse, eventually resorting to the embarrassing comb-over and, finally, to my current style, which is shaved. (Which, by the way, attracts too much attention from airport security. Just saying!) It all got to be too much.

Jeremy, the only Chinese/American player in the NBA, is getting a lot of attention these days because he changes his hair so often. He has even generated some scorn in GQ, which struggled with what to call his latest style. Man-bun? Top-Knot? Samurai? Or, as some have speculated, a modern-day version of the pig-tail worn by Chinese coolies in the 19th century.

His hair style hasn't changed his style of play, which some say is reckless abandon or daring. His play generates almost as many adjectives as hair style.

RELATED: Jeremy Lin opens up about race

I think Jeremy's changing hair is - in a way - his attempt to counter stereotypes. It's his own private joke on a society that wants to pigeonhole him. 

The native of the San Francisco Bay Area talked about the racial bias he's encountered as a professional baskeball player and the stereotypes he's had to disprove over and over again: can't jump, not fast enough, can't shoot, not aggressive, He's been defying stereotypes his whole life. His hair is just another way of dismantling the unathletic-Asian stereotype that has been imposed on him - from the height of LInsanity to his current team,  the Charlotte Hornets - there's a lot we can learn from his story.

Jeremy Lin should be able to wear his hair any darn way he wants to.

UPDATED: Since this post was written, Jeremy Lin wrote an essay in the Oct. 3, 2017 issue of The Players' Tribune about his most recent hair style.

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