the Jeremy Lin story

Sometimes we hear great underdog stories of great players that just need a chance to show what they can do. Usually these are in a movie and fictitious. Then there is Linsanity that took the world by storm. I did a little research and here is the background.

- Jeremy Lin went to Palo Alto High School, where he was named Northern California Division II Player of the Year, and as a captain he led the basketball team to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei for the California Division II state championship. But it seems like no one noticed him.

- Lin applied to Stanford (right where he grew up) and UCLA, but they only invited him to try the team as a walk on. Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on the basketball team, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. At first, Harvard said the team wasn't interested in him, but a few weeks later changed their mind. So he went to Harvard.

- At Harvard he was a unanimous selection for the Ivy League First Team. He led the 2010 team to a school record for wins and non-conference wins, and finished his college career as the first Ivy League player to compile and 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals. Still, it seems like no one noticed him.

- Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft. The Dallas Mavericks were the only team that invited Lin to play in the Summer League. A few teams offered him a contract and he signed with his hometown Golden State Warriors. He made the opening day roster but was placed on the inactive list. He played in 29 games, mostly on Asian Heritage Night for whatever arena the team was playing in. He went to the D-League 3 times that season, but played so well that he was recalled up each time. Lin was cut by the Warriors on the first day back after the NBA lockout.

- A few days later he was claimed/picked up by the Houston Rockets. He was cut by the team on Christmas Eve, right before the season started.

- The Knicks claimed him a few days later when Iman Shumpert got injured to be a backup behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby. A week later he got sent to the D-League again. A couple days later he had a triple double (28 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists) in a win. A few days later he was recalled. By Feb 3, he had played in just 6 games for the Knicks and scored 32 total points, while the Knicks were sitting at a record of 8-15.

And then the rest of the story

- On Feb 4 against the New Jersey Nets, Lin came off the bench to score 25 points and electrify the crowd as the Knicks won.

- Lin started the next game against the Jazz. All Star Amar'e Stoudemire was injured and did not play. Carmelo Anthony was injured in the first quarter and didn't return. Lin played 44 minutes, scored 28 points, and the Knicks won again.

- The Knicks were without both All Stars against the Wizards. Lin scored 23 and the Knicks won again.

- On Feb 10 against the Lakers, Jeremy Lin scored 38 points, outplayed Kobe Bryant, and the Knicks beat the Lakers. The 38 was the most points by a Knicks player this year.

- In the next game, Super Lintendo hit some last second free throws to beat the Timberwolves. He finished the game with 20 points.

The point is

Here is a guy that has succeeded at every level he has played at but fails to get noticed. He was not offered a college scholarship. He was undrafted. He was waived by two NBA teams. Two weeks ago he was in the D-League. A week ago no one knew who he was.

And now, Lin has led the 8-15 Knicks to five wins in a row despite being without their (other) two best and most important players. In those 5 games he has averaged nearly 27 points (near Kobe's NBA season-best 29), 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. If that's not impressive enough for you, remember that these were the first NBA games he has started in his career, and a week ago you never heard of him.

How did nearly every university miss this? How did every NBA team blow the opportunity to get him? How has everyone in authority overlooked this guy's skills and abilities so long? Give him a chance and look what happens.

This isn't one of those cases like the 1984 Miracle on Ice where some underdog surprises the world and plays better than their ability. This isn't Tim Tebow, a terrible quarterback with a world famous resume who leads a bad to the playoffs. This is a situation where a player with insane skills has emerged out of practically nowhere, completely whiffed by everyone, and takes a league by storm. Given a chance to play for an underachieving team with no other great players, he leads the team to 5 straight wins including one where he outplayed one of the best players in NBA history. If that isn't enough for you, please tell me one other undrafted player in the NBA who has made an impact on the court. Especially in the NBA, that never happens.

Linsanity, Lincredible, AmazLin, whatever you want to call it, it's a story for the ages. And it has just begun.