Over the past month (emphasis on the singular month), Jeremy Lin’s name has become omnipresent, plastered on newspaper headlines and Facebook statuses everywhere. Even if you haven’t watched a single NBA game your entire life, you have likely heard and seen his name, wondering what the commotion is all about.
So what’s the deal? Who is this Jeremy Lin and why is everyone obsessing over him?
A 23-year-old originally hailing from Northern California, Jeremy Lin has shot to fame as a point guard for the New York Knicks. Lin, a Harvard graduate, has been the recipient of much publicity as he is one of the few players in NBA history to be of Asian descent and the first American player to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.
There have been several cases in which Lin’s ethnicity has been the target of racial jokes and/or controversial remarks. Today, it was publicized that sports network ESPN fired an employee who repeatedly used an Asian slur to refer to Lin. A few days earlier, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock was in the hot seat for a tweet he had written about Lin and Asian stereotypes.
In addition to standing out racially, Lin has attracted attention due to his seemingly coming out of nowhere. Despite having a fairly large following as a player for the Golden State Warrior in 2011, Lin became a worldwide sensation only earlier this month after several impressive performances in which he helped the Knicks’ beat the New Jersey Nets and Utah Jazz. The days prior to these games, Lin had been playing for the NBA Development League, the NBA’s official minor league. On Valentine’s Day, Lin made the game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors, further amplifying his popularity as the league’s new superstar.
The combination of athletic skill, racial breakthroughs, and underdog story has captivated NBA fans and players as well as those with no interest in basketball. It is amazing to think that Lin, who now boasts over half a billion Google search results, had been living on a couch in his brother’s New York apartment earlier this year, virtually unknown.
Only time will tell if “Linsanity” is a phenomenon of novelty or the start of a long-lasting fan base. Based on his recent performances and the acclaim he has received from NBA legends like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, it appears Jeremy Lin will continue to be a source of fascination.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Chicago chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.