Knicks guard Jeremy Lin: Why we love his 'Lin-derella' story

The tabloids are calling it a “Lin-derella” story.

Jeremy Lin, a humble Chinese-American Harvard grad and basketball player trying to make his way in the NBA, is picked up off waivers by the underperforming New York Knicks, where he is a deep bench player. Summoned to play in place of an injured starter, he leads the team to victory after victory, creating an overnight global sensation: Linsanity.

A curious and basketball-savvy President Obama watches Mr. Lin’s highlights – such as a buzzer-beating three-pointer against Toronto Tuesday night, or outscoring LA Laker superstar Kobe Bryant on Feb. 10.

Wednesday night, former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore showed up to cheer him on as the Knicks defeated the Sacramento Kings for their seventh straight, a game in which Lin racked up a career-best 13 assists despite sitting out the fourth quarter (for rest).

Lin, the first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, has 355,985 followers on Twitter and 630,312 “Likes” on Facebook. YouTube is filled with Lin clips, some attracting hundreds of thousands of hits. The Chinese media is flooded with his basketball highlights, even though his family’s roots are in Taiwan.

And all this in under two weeks.

Sports experts say the Lin story seems to have resonated for a number of reasons. First is the underdog element: even though he was a star player in high school, no college basketball power thought he could play at a higher level. He faced the same attitude from professional scouts.

Secondly, Lin has taken an unconventional path to the National Basketball Association. “He was not a McDonald’s All-American, then a player at Kentucky, and then a first round draft pick,” says Herb Sendek, head coach at Arizona State University. “When people make it on an unconventional path, it gives people hope, they can apply it to their own lives.”

Lin also seems to have attracted followers because so far the 6-foot, 3-inch point guard appears almost to be a throwback to an earlier era when basketball was less star-oriented. Although many of Lin’s shots are almost acrobatic, as he often challenges seven-footers, he also hits ordinary lay-ups that just graze the backboard before dropping through the rim. He seems very adept at lofting “alley-oop” passes toward the rim for a teammate to jam it through.

“His character quotient is reflected in his play,” says Mr. Sendek of ASU. “He shoots when he is supposed to shoot, he passes when he is supposed to pass. He is very team-centered.”

The Knicks’ color commentator, former Knick guard Walt “Clyde” Frazier, a seven-time All Star, said of Lin during the Kings game, “He’s always looking for the opening, he’s always attacking.”

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