We may never see anything like it again.
From the halls of Harvard to an NBA Champion, that’s Jeremy Lin. During the 2011-12 NBA regular season Lin–and the “Linsanity” that followed–took the league by storm.
And who could have predicted it? Lin went undrafted despite having college basketball success at Harvard. Then, in 2010, the Golden State Warriors inked Lin his first NBA contract, but his playing time was next to nothing. A release soon followed. His next stop–the place where IT happened–was the Big Apple and the NY Knicks.
“Linsanity” was born on February 4, 2012, at Madison Square Garden in a game between the Knicks and the then-New Jersey Nets. Lin checked into the game with the Knicks trailing, and the team needed a spark. Lin soon became the fuse, slashing his way to the rim time and time again, finishing the night with a game-high 25 points (on 10-19 shooting), dishing out seven assists, grabbing five rebounds, and making two steals. It was a night to remember!
And that night wasn’t a one-off. Lin played as a man possessed, posting a career-high 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, and finishing the season averaging 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.6 steals. More importantly, the Knicks made the playoffs–something they were unlikely to have done without him.
But for reasons unclear, the Knicks decided not to re-sign Lin, and that began his migration across the NBA. Not surprisingly, though, “Linsanity” didn’t die. Lin continued as a double-digit point scorer.
After a buyout in 2018-19 from the Atlanta Hawks, Lin signed with the Toronto Raptors. And while his role diminished there, his importance did not. Lin and the Raptors went on to make history together, winning their first NBA title that season. For Lin, it was a fitting end to his NBA career.
Today, “Linsanity” is gone from the NBA courts, but it will forever reside in the annals of NBA history.
