You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.
The Jeremy Lin Phenomenon. Is it media hype? Is it a rags to riches drama? Is it a fish out of water story.
Perhaps all of the above.
So the question for the uninitiated is: Who is Jeremy Lin?
Well he is a “LIN-dividual” who some have described as “LIN-tense” and popular on a “LIN-ternational” level.
As they said on ESPN the sportsreporters the other day; He’s the Underdog from Harvard.
How often do you hear anyone from Harvard being called an underdog?
In case you have stuck your head in a rabbit hole the last two weeks, Jeremy Lin is the New York Knicks point guard who helped the floundering team go on a 7-0 run.
Anything big in the Big Apple is even bigger. A mole hill really is a mountain in New York. And right now, only the Donald’s hair is bigger than the Asia sensation.
Until 2 weeks ago, Lin was a guy that had been cut from a couple of NBA rosters and was accumulating cob webs on the end of the Knicks bench.
Then the Knicks coach looked down at the 23 year old kid and LIN-serted number 17 into the fray.
The NBA player, still sleeping on his brother’s couch, responded with more points in four games than anyone in the history of the game. That’s serious people, think about that.
The Knicks went on a win streak that long suffering Knicks fans inhaled like laughing gas at the dentists office.
America loves a good rags to riches story. This hoopster is Linderella. Lin is an Asian American in a predominantly African American sport. The stereotype is little Asian guys got no game. Asian dudes are slow and probably better at math than the pick and roll.
Lin is changing that thought from Beijing to Tawaiin to Brooklyn.
In a game where the individual is so often the focus, Lin talks about team. He is humble and reserved.
He is quietly religious, like a hoops dream Tim Tebow.
From obscurity to notoriety, suddenly number 17 Jerseys are flying off the shelf and showing up in the crowd.
Lin said he didn’t even know that the NBA sold his jersey. Watch out Linderella, that carriage is about to turn back into a pumpkin.
Asian fans are chanting from the rafters; We want Lin. I saw a highlight where some Asian kids were waving their ipads with Lin’s name scrolling across the screen. Now that is technology flavored fanaticism.
The New York media loves the guy’s name and the back page is filled with headlines like:
LIN-tensity! LIN-sanity! LIN-credible!
Such is the force of this cultural phenomenon.
How did scouts miss this guy? One ESPN analyst says they didn’t. Because this is not the same guy.
Think about it. In high school Lin was a wash rag thin, 120 pounds standing slightly taller than a fire hydrant at 5′ 3″.
In college, he grew to 6′ 1″ – 170 pounds. That ain’t exactly sturdy in athletic circles.
“At Harvard he was one of the weakest guys ever,” the analyst says with a smile. “He was not even a good practice player,” he adds.
Lin is a testament to a guy who works hard and re-invents himself. He’s now 6′ 4″ tall and weighs 200 pounds. He worked with a shooting coach and got stronger. He’s playing in a point guard oriented system and he is thriving, for now.
Could it all come crumbling down? In a LIN-stant!
But for now; Lin-Sanity will continue as long as the Knicks continue to LINspire.
Lin sat down with ESPN on Sunday and he said…
He is no over night sensation. “I spent nights crying. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the chance.”
From zero to hero. Rumors are rolling like he is dating big butt Kim Kardashian.
“I’m not that type,” he says.
A few more weeks of LIN-sanity, you might be.
And that is crazy.