Jeremy Lin burst onto the scene in 2012. Undrafted out of Harvard, not exactly a basketball powerhouse, the guard led the Carmelo-less Knicks to a 7-1 start while nearly averaging a double-double at 25 points and 9.5 assists per game. The emergence of an Asian-American basketball star in media market heaven NYC led to the movement known as “Linsanity”.
Now with the Brooklyn Nets, Lin told the New York Daily News:
In some ways, Linsanity wouldn’t have been Linsanity if I was a different skin color, most likely, it wouldn’t have been as big of a deal, and that went to my advantage, too, but if you look prior to that, a lot of the obstacles to even get to that point where I could get to a position of getting on the floor, those were definitely obstacles that were very much stereotypes that I had to fight along the way. So I’ve always understood that there’s good and there’s bad and you have to take them together and just be thankful for it all.
Lin’s Asian-American background was a gift and a curse. He got less exposure from coaches and scouts as he rose through the basketball ranks. However, his “unlikely” story of success helped him become a media superstar as his basketball skills took center stage in Madison Square Garden.
Since then, Lin has maintained steady production on the hardwood and averaged 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3 assists last season for the Nets.