Phenomenal Chinese American NBA player Jeremy Lin captures international attention

Details

Published on Monday, 05 March 2012 12:34

By Jennifer Nordin, Staff Writer

Jeremy Lin has captured the attention of the United States and the world and sparked fan fervor that has been dubbed “Linsanity.” 

Lin is the first American of Chinese descent to play in the NBA. Lin’s parents, Shirley and Gie-Ming immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s. Jeremy, 23, is the second of the Lins’ three sons. Older brother Josh is a student in the College of Dentistry at New York University. Younger brother Joseph is a student and basketball player at Hamilton College, a Division III school. All three brothers grew up playing basketball with their father at the YMCA in Palo Alto, Calif.

Lin, a point guard for the New York Knicks, exploded onto the NBA scene in February. In the absence of Knicks’ stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, Lin stepped up and scored an average of over 20 points per game in the 12 games leading up to the All-Star Game. The Knicks won 9 of the 12 games.

Lin scored a career high 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers on Feb. 10. Perhaps the most memorable Lin play to date was in the Feb. 14 game against the Toronto Raptors when Lin landed a 3-point shot less than a second before the final buzzer to break the tie and lead the Knicks to a 90-87 win over the Raptors. (Lin also made the game-winning field goal to win against the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-98 on Feb. 11.)

This meteoric rise begs the question: “Where did Jeremy Lin come from?”

Jeremy Lin’s story seems like a quintessential story of the underdog. Lin, a graduate of Harvard, was not drafted by an NBA franchise, but he signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors on July 21, 2010. He was waived by the Warriors on Dec. 9 and by the Houston Rockets on Dec. 24. He had been sent to the NBA’s Development League a few times as well. When he became a NBA star, he was still crashing on his big brother’s couch.

The skill that Lin has shown in the NBA is merely a continuation of the athletic excellence that he displayed playing basketball at Harvard and at Palo Alto High School.

Lin ranks first all-time at Harvard in games played (115), fifth in points (1,483), fifth in assists (406) and second in steals (225). He became the first player in Ivy League history to record 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals.

At Palo Alto High School, he captained his high school team to the CIF Division II State title. As a senior, Lin was named Northern California Division II Player of the Year, Northern California Scholar Athlete of the Year and First Team All-State and Player of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News.

Jeremy Lin is uniquely positioned to fill the void that Yao Ming left upon his retirement. This may explain how his popularity has spread to China. Lin’s ethnicity has inspired Taiwanese and Chinese people overseas to support his success.

Lin has been overwhelmed by attention from fans and the media, but has handled it with grace. Comments about Lin have been mostly in a positive vein but there have been moments when bias and negative stereotypes of Asian American and Asian men have been exposed. An ESPN editor was fired for approving a headline that included a word that is considered a racial slur against Asians and Asian Americans. The editor later apologized and said that the offensive headline was an “honest mistake.” Lin told reporters that he accepted the apology, saying, “[You] have to learn to forgive, and I don't even think that was intentional. Or hopefully not.”

In an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols Lin addressed the issue of racism saying that as an Asian American athlete, "You can't prove yourself one time, you can't have one good game and everyone one be like, 'He's the real deal.' It has to be over and over and over again."

In that same interview, Lin demonstrated humility by saying, “I respectfully disagree” with those who claim he is the savior of the Knicks.

He also said, “I just want to make sure that I’m not doing a disservice to my team by milking all the attention ‘cause at the end of the day that’s not what I love. I love basketball.”

While he may not want all the attention he is receiving, Jeremy Lin understands what affect his celebrity can have. Lin is using his fame for a greater good through his foundation. “The Jeremy Lin Foundation (JLINF) is dedicated to reaching out to underprivileged individuals and communities to provide financial, educational and spiritual assistance and to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.” (http://jeremylinfoundation.org)

Lin said that he wants to be a “role model for the Asian American and Asian community.”

An added bonus to Jeremy Lin’s popularity in the United States, Taiwan and China is the fact that he has become a common denominator for these countries and will likely provide insights about each of their cultures for the rest of the world to learn about through the sport of basketball thus replacing the ping pong diplomacy that emerged during the Nixon area.

Undoubtedly, Lin will continue to endure a great deal of pressure and scrutiny as he pursues his professional career in the NBA.  Lin’s success will inspire other young Asian American basketball players to pursue their dreams of getting to the NBA. The humble and personable Jeremy Lin has earned his success. His ethnicity is just part of his story and should remain a positive one while he battles still prevalent stereotypes in today's society.

Share this post