By now, the Jeremy Lin story has been told and retold hundreds or thousands of times, and you’ve likely heard it or read it nearly as many. However, a good story is always worth retelling and reevaluating. Not only that, but the longer this story continues, the better it continues to get, as Lin shows no signs of slowing down and being a two-week flash in the pan, and instead continues to prove that he’s the real deal and he’ll be sticking around.
A month ago, nobody knew who Jeremy Lin was, unless you were a diehard hoops fan all the way down to your core. Even then, you might have heard the name or knew he was bouncing around the league and the D-league, but you probably wouldn’t know much about what he could do as a player, or what his fortune in the future might be. Of course, nobody knew that, from basketball team general managers and coaches, to draft scouts and analysts and everyone else down the line.
In the NFL, it’s not unusual for a player to come from nowhere and become a huge star. Think about somebody like Tom Brady, drafted in the sixth round, and becoming one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. His story may not be commonplace, but it’s not unique either. With so many players competing to be in the NFL, so many variables at play including player development and injuries and more, stars emerge from unusual places quite commonly.
But that’s just not the way it works in the NBA. A player might be an unknown and then go on to have a few decent seasons. But nobody comes out of the gates from the middle of nowhere like Jeremy Lin did. Not only was he undrafted, but he went to an Ivy League college, which means that both his level of competition and his own skills weren’t taken very seriously. He didn’t even win the player of the year in the Ivies, either.
From being undrafted and a former Harvard player, he got signed and then cut by two different NBA teams, while making several stops in the D-League. He was living on his brother’s couch in New York City with a non-guaranteed contract. Then, on his way to being cut by a third team, the injury depleted Knicks put him on the floor to give him a chance, and more or less eat up some game time with nobody else on the roster really being available.
We all know the rest by now, of course. He exploded onto the scene and scored more points in his first four NBA starts than anyone else in NBA history, dating back to the merger over 35 years ago, passing players like Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan along the way. With Lin on the floor, the struggling, bottom dwelling Knicks suddenly became unstoppable. Seven straight wins followed, highlighted by game winning shots and game clinching free throws from Lin.
It’s a miraculous story, and best of all, it’s still emerging and evolving. Lin is here to stay, he has earned his shot, and we’ll all see what he can do for the rest of the season and beyond. Embrace the Linsanity, it’s not going anywhere.
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