Tired of Jeremy Lin? Good, me neither. This is not a piece on Jeremy Lin’s rumored Kim Kardashian relationship or his face covering TIME magazine as well as Sports Illustrated. If you have not heard and you do not know what Twitter is, then here is a brief recap on who Jeremy Lin is and why his last name is so versatile.
Jeremy Lin was a high school basketball star in Palo Alto, California, but that did not translate into a single Division One scholarship offer. A true California boy, Lin desired to play near his hometown, but schools like Stanford and UCLA were not interested.
Lin took his hidden talents to Harvard. He continued to excel, but NBA scouts questioned his size, skills and the competition he faced.
Lin went unselected in the 2010 NBA draft, but if there is a hidden basketball talent out there, then Mavericks General Manager Donnie Nelson will find it. Nelson invited Lin to participate in the Mavericks summer league and his play earned him a contract offer with Dallas. Even the Lakers offered Lin a deal, but so did Jeremy’s hometown and favorite team, the Golden State Warriors, and he signed there.
As the story goes, the Warriors released Lin before the 2011-2012 season despite his being liked by management and loved by the loyal Golden State fans.
Next, Lin caught on with the Knicks, but started with their minor league team. His numbers there initiated a call-up to the pro squad and on Feb. 4 against the New Jersey Nets, Lin came off the bench to score 25 points, collect five rebounds and dish out seven assists. The Knicks had been struggling for weeks, but their new point guard lit a fire under the team. Linsanity had officially begun.
Lin immediately claimed a starting role and lead the Knicks on an eight game winning streak, seven of which he started.
Jeremy Lin and his unique story initiated a worldwide phenomenon and Lin became an icon.
Lin merchandise has been flying off the shelves and kids are going to the gym in Lin #17 jerseys because everyone wants to be like Jeremy Lin right now.
Junior Daniel Faghi-Isa often copies moves he sees the elite basketball players do for his own game.
“I have taken a lot of moves from guys like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James,” Faghi-Isa said. “But now I am using moves that I saw Jeremy Lin use.”
Senior Jake Winslett pretty much sums it up.
“He is the most interesting man in sports right now,” Winslett said.
