NBA

Lin found game on other side of the world

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It was July 2011, and everyone’s NBA dream was on hold because of the lockout. Jeremy Lin, whose belief in realizing that dream was starting to wane, received an invitation to go back to China and train.

Lin and his parents flew to Guangdong province in the southeastern corner of China, where he began working out with the Dongguan Leopards. Leopards coach Brian Goorjian is known as one of the top international hoops minds.

It is in these distant outposts that players on the cusp of a cherished NBA roster spot work for a paycheck and hope to discover their personal missing basketball link. Jeremy Shu-How Lin found his — under a teammate’s headphones.

“He walked into the locker room the first day, I was listening to music, it was pretty loud and Jeremy recognized it,’’ former Cal State Fullerton star Josh Akognon told The Post by phone from Dongguan. “It was [Christian rappers] Lecrae and Thi’sl. … He said, ‘You’re a Christian?’ He sat down and we started talking. Then we started talking about basketball and what is our plan.

“I’m a shooter,’’ Akognon said. “I’ll take 25 shots if that’s what my coach wants. He asked me what happens if I miss a lot and my team loses? He was afraid if he took two shots and missed one, he’d get pulled. I said, ‘You take thousands of shots over the summer. You know you can make them. Don’t stop when the lights come on.’ ’’

Lin seemingly has thrown the switch on the brightest lights in the biggest city. The 6-foot-3 point guard has become an overnight sensation, leading the Knicks to five straight wins, including one over the Lakers when he scored 38 points.

“We were waiting to board our plane and the guys were watching on their phones,’’ Goorjian, a close friend of St. John’s assistant coach Mike Dunlap, told The Post. “They were saying in Chinese ‘31! 33!’ when he scored and pumping their fists. That’s the thing about Jeremy. Anyone who meets him wants him to succeed.’’

A question that began to form for Akognon: Did Lin want to succeed more than he was afraid to fail?

“We talked about the whole thing he went through at Golden State,” Akognon said. “That would make anyone lose faith. He would get called up and he wouldn’t even dress for two games. Then he’d get sent back to the D-league. He’d get called up, play a minute, think he made one mistake, and get sent down.’

“I said to him, ‘Do you really believe in yourself,’ ’’ Akognon added. “I really don’t care what anyone thinks of me as a player. I have confidence in myself.’’

Lin stayed for a week in Guangdong, practicing with the Leopards and playing for them in a three-game tournament. He won MVP honors even though the Leopards lost in the championship game.

Goorjian found himself being more intrigued and appreciative of Lin with each passing day. Goorjian was teaching the Leopards basic ball movement. Lin joined in, the Harvard grad offering pointers on the Princeton offense.

Goorjian put in a couple of pick-and-rolls for Lin, and the player began to emerge.

“I thought he was quick and powerful,’’ Goorjian said. “Not compared to the players we have here, but compared to some of the NBA players we’ve had over here — Stephon Marbury, J.R. Smith, Wilson Chandler. He got from one end of the floor to the other faster than anyone, and he was powerful getting into the lane.’’

But could he get into the lane against a starting NBA point guard and beat the help defender? Could he hit the jumper off a pick-and-pop, something Goorjian didn’t see? Could he make mistake without looking over to the bench?

“In the games he was always furiously going after the ball,’’ Goorjian said. “A lot of guys won’t do that over here. They want to protect themselves.’

“You’ve got to understand we have a lot of loose balls over here. … There was one play where a bunch of guys were going one way and a bunch were going the other way. He just ran right through, grabbed the ball and went for a layup. I thought, ‘Wow!’ I thought he was fearless.’’

Lin has played that way since getting his first major minutes with the Knicks on Feb. 4, despite missing all three of his shots in seven minutes against the Celtics the previous night. It’s as if he no longer was afraid to fail.

Akognon seems to be the only one not surprised by Lin’s success. He thinks Lin began to believe on the one-hour bus rides in which the two would discuss faith and opportunity — perhaps Lin’s time had arrived.

“I’m a true believer,’’ Akognon said. “I’m a true believer in the understanding that there’s a plan, whatever that might be. I knew if he could succeed and get some good vibe, he’d roll with it.

“It sounds like that’s what’s happened in New York. … I haven’t tried calling him because I hear he’s like a rock star.’’

Oh yes, the lights are on. It’s the Jeremy Lin show.

lenn.robbins@nypost.com