The hot story of the NFL this season was Tim Tebow, hands down. The NBA is trying to match tebowmania with a player who brings instant star media power.
His name is Jeremy Lin. He's a point guard for the New York Knicks playing in his second NBA season. He spent the first with our Golden State Warriors. His college days were spent at Harvard University. Prior to that he attended high school in Palo Alto, California. He's 6 ft 3 inches and weighs approximately 200 lbs.
So why the Tebow comparisons? Is he a trailblazing christian, playing basketball like one who's been anointed by the almighty? What makes this record breaking Ivy League player with a Harvard degree in economics the hot story of the day?
It's really very simple. You remember the movie "White Men Can't Jump" starring Woody Harrelson? Well, just substitute the "White" with "Taiwanese/ethnic-Chinese" and you've got the Jeremy Lin show, proving that asian men not only can jump, but also can shoot, pass, play defense and beat a man on a crossover dribble. Only this show isn't fiction. It's real and proving to not go away anytime soon.
Jeremy and the Knicks are on a five game winning streak. In one of those games he scored 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. It's speculated that his #17 Jersey will set a Knicks franchise record. I wonder if they've heard of Lin in China yet? Jeremy Lin was born in Los Angeles and raised in the SF Bay area. Both his parents, with ancestral roots in China, emigrated from Taiwan. Both countries are claiming him as a native son. We in the states claim him as Asian-American. Politically, it's complicated.
With former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming retired, Lin carries the weight of a people on his shoulders and from the looks of it he's more than capable of handling the load. Last I checked China was still leading the world in population at 1.3 billion citizens. The United States has 312 million. Do the math.
With former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming retired, Lin carries the weight of a people on his shoulders and from the looks of it he's more than capable of handling the load. Last I checked China was still leading the world in population at 1.3 billion citizens. The United States has 312 million. Do the math.
I admit, I can't give a true opinion of Lin since I've only seen highlights of his skills. But from the few highlight reels I've seen of this young Asian-American man, I'd say his basketball smarts and skills are authentic and legitimate. He's no flash in the pan. So get ready NBA, if you thought Yao was a consumer cash cow, wait'll #17 Jeremy Lin becomes a household name. Probably in about two more hours.
Move over Tebow, it's J-Lin Time!
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