Bear Bachmeier’s latest interview left him feeling “starstruck.”
BYU’s first Asian American starting quarterback and Jeremy Lin, the NBA’s first player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, interviewed each other in a new AMAZN HQ video. Bachmeier admitted he grew up inspired by Lin, especially after he waved off Kobe Bryant before nailing a 3-pointer in 2014.
“After that moment I was like, I just want to be like Jeremy Lin,” Bachmeier said. “Unfortunately, I’m not a great basketball player, but (I) found a different avenue.”
In the 15-minute video shared on YouTube on Monday, Bachmeier and Lin discussed a variety of topics — from their faith to their Asian American heritage.
Here is a recap of what they said.
Bear Bachmeier and Jeremy Lin on faith
Lin, a Christian, asked Bachmeier, a Catholic, about the role faith plays in his life. Bachmeier pointed to his journey to BYU.
“I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason,” he said. “Coming out of high school, I committed to Stanford, and I was at Stanford for four months. My coach ended up getting fired, and I felt some kind of calling to leave Stanford and go to a different place where there’s more stability.”
Bachmeier described leaving Stanford for BYU as “the hardest decision I ever had to make.” But it paid off.
At BYU, he became the program’s first true freshman to start a season opener, and he went on to lead BYU to its first Big 12 Championship appearance.
“I’m just such a better person, and I’m such a better player being at BYU. So faith is very, very important to me and has played a big role for me,” he said.
Lin said he could see the hope Bachmeier’s faith brings him, which is something Lin has experienced with his own faith.
“A huge point on Christianity is just you have hope,” Lin said. “You have hope that things happen for a reason. You have hope that the end will play out a certain way. You have hope that God never leaves you, that he never forsakes you. There’s just so many things that provide hope and positivity. And so the lens that you view the whole world is one of that, and I can feel that even just in a short conversation.”
Bachmeier shared how he leaned on hope and his faith in God while his sister was hospitalized and his dad had a brain tumor.
“The only thing you can really do at that point is pray and just ask God for miracles and miracles are true,” he said. “Anyways, they’re doing really well, and it’s just — you got to have faith. You got to have hope.”
Bear Bachmeier and Jeremy Lin on representing Asian Americans
Bachmeier wasn’t immune to Asian American stereotypes as a kid.
“Growing up, all my friends joked around, just like, ‘Oh, he’s probably good at math,’ and I was kind of good at math,” he said. “But I feel like there’s just so much more I wanted to show of myself, and especially from a sports side.”
He said that the platform and leadership responsibilities that come with being BYU’s starting quarterback “breaks that barrier of Asians kind of just being shy and being in the corner.”
“It just meant a lot to represent such an important position and one that’s so underrepresented by Asian Americans, and it means a lot,” Bachmeier said. “It’s always in the back of my head, like I am playing for so much. You always kind of have that initial like, ‘Oh, I’m just kind of playing for myself.’ But no, you’re playing for so much more.”
Bachmeier said kids “that look like me” come up to him and tell him that he’s their hero.
“It warms my heart,” he said. “ … I can’t believe I’m an inspiration to these kids. I’m sure you have kind of the same similarities. But it just means so much, and you’re fighting for something way bigger.”
Bear Bachmeier on building camaraderie with BYU teammates
When it comes to building relationships with teammates, Bachmeier said the key is actually what happens off the field.
“I think that the best camaraderie is not built on the field, but it’s built off the field — going to watch a movie or going to get food, being kids, being free,” he said.
He also likes to take care of his offensive linemen, which he said means “emptying my pockets when we go to eat.”
Bachmeier added that the service-oriented mindset that comes from BYU’s mission statements has also helped in the building of that brotherhood.
“When you’re in between the lines and I’m looking at the 10 other guys who just love being great people and love serving others, that brotherhood and that bond, it just makes us such a better team,” he said.
Bachmeier and BYU play their first game of the 2026 season on Saturday against Utah Tech at 6 p.m. MDT, and they plan to build on last season’s success.
“Coming up on my second year at BYU and we’re trying to do even better,” Bachmeier said. “You never want to get complacent. You always want to be better than the year before, and (we) got a really good team.”