Based on his newfound worldwide acclaim, it’s almost as if New York Knicks’ sensation Jeremy Lin has made a deal with the devil.
However, it’s the complete opposite. The 23-year-old point guard has attributed his success to his hard work and to God for giving him this opportunity.
While he could have basked in his personal success, Lin chose a different route.
“I’m thinking about how I can trust God more,” Lin told the San Jose Mercury News. “How can I surrender more? How can I bring Him more glory?”
Lin and the Knicks appear to be a match made in heaven. He tweeted about his new teammates during this run: “Love playing with them! God is good!”
Lin has taken the Big Apple, the nation and even the world by storm with his recent string of outstanding play. Not only has he turned the Knicks season around, but he has also saved Head Coach Mike D’Antoni’s job. The Knicks were just 8-15 before Lin had his breakout game Feb. 4 against the New Jersey Nets.
But just where exactly did this “Lin-sanity” phenomenon originate?
Jeremy Shu-How Lin was born in Palo Alto, Calif., in 1988. He was raised in a Christian household and was taught to thank God often for his many blessings.
He became a local celebrity of sorts during his senior year in high school (2005-06) when he was the captain of the Palo Alto team that finished the year 32-1, including an upset win in the league championship game over nationally-ranked Mater Dei H.S., Santa Ana, Calif.
Despite his success during his senior year, Lin was not offered a scholarship to his dream school, UCLA (Los Angeles), or any other California schools. He wound up accepting an offer to play at Harvard, Cambridge, Mass., since he was guaranteed a roster spot. However, Ivy League schools like Harvard do not offer athletic scholarships.
Lin started making a name for himself during his junior year at Harvard. He ranked in the top-10 of almost every single offensive statistic in the Ivy League. His most memorable college game came in his senior year.
Though Harvard lost to the No. 12 ranked University of Connecticut, Lin scored a career-high tying 30 pts. and pulled down nine rebounds. Though for the most part he flew under the radar, Lin quietly became the only Ivy League player in history to score at least 1,450 pts. with 450 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals. These definitely seem like numbers that would get a player drafted, right?
Well, that wasn’t the case for Lin. No NBA team selected him in the 2010 draft, though he had been invited to try out for eight teams. Had he not experienced this moment of adversity, “Lin-sanity” may have never occurred.
Lin was invited to Dallas Mavericks summer camp before the 2010-11 season. He played in five exhibition games and averaged 9.8 pts. per game. His high-energy style led to three professional contract offers – one each from the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Growing up a Warriors fan in Palo Alto, Lin’s choice was an easy one. He signed a two-year deal with Golden State, making him the first Chinese- or Taiwanese-American player to play in the NBA.
Lin played in only 29 games during his first season, averaging 2.6 pts. in 9.8 minutes per game.
They say everything happens for a reason, and the same could be said about Lin.
The Warriors drafted Hofstra, Hempstead, L.I., standout point guard Charles Jenkins in June, 2011. According to reports by the San Francisco Chronicle, Lin would have trouble beating out Jenkins for a roster spot. The Warriors placed him on waivers, and the Houston Rockets claimed him. However, Houston had three guards already ahead of Lin on the depth chart and waived him as well.
The Knicks claimed Lin on Dec. 27, 2011 but assigned him to the NBA’s Developmental League a few weeks later. Lin had a triple-double (28 pts., 11 rebounds and 12 assists) on Jan. 17 for the Erie BayHawks — the Knicks’ D-League affiliate. He was back with the Knicks within days.
With the Knicks struggling, D’Antoni decided to give the kid a chance.
“He (Lin) got lucky because we were playing so bad,” D’Antoni told the New York Post. The rest is history. Lin scored more points (51) in his first two NBA starts than league superstar LeBron James. Lin also scored more points in his first three starts (89) than any player since the NBA and ABA merger of 1976.
His defining moment so far came on Feb. 14 when he hit a game-winning three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors after the Knicks trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter.
“I just thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for that shot,” Lin said in a post-game interview. “I’m thankful it went in.”
If he keeps up this “Lin-sane” pace, expect him to hit many more clutch shots with the game on the line. For the Knicks, his emergence has been a “Lin-Lin” situation.
Contact Jim Mancari via e-mail at jmmanc@gmail.com.