Linsanity: The Greatest Two-Week Span in NBA History

By Declan Doherty

Part I: The Rise of Linsanity

In February 2012, a seemingly average NBA player for the New York Knicks named Jeremy Lin was making national headlines. For a few weeks, he was world-famous, yet the fame dwindled as quickly as it came. This is the rise and fall of “Linsanity”, and the story of one of the greatest and most unexpected phenomena in basketball history.

Jeremy Shu-How Lin was born in Torrance, California to Taiwanese immigrant parents on August 23rd, 1988. Shortly after, his family settled in the Bay Area city of Palo Alto. From a young age, Lin's family knew he was special. Outside of basketball, Lin was a strong student. Due to these dueling talents, Lin’s family knew that it was important for Lin to prioritize both. Jeremy Lin proved these talents when he was recruited for Harvard’s basketball team, one of the most prestigious academic institutions on the planet. While he did end up going undrafted, It was here at Harvard where Lin came into his own, finding an unconventional path to NBA glory. 

Fast forward, it’s now February 4th, 2012, and the New York Knicks are playing the New Jersey Nets. Jeremy Lin, who had previously played only 36 total minutes since joining the Knicks last December, was given a precious opportunity to get minutes. Little was expected of him, of course, but he made an immediate impact, scoring 25 points in that game. While Knicks fans didn’t think much of the occurrence, assuming it was a fluke, it proved to be quite the opposite. In the next few games, Lin scored 20 points or more every time. Jeremy Lin was no joke, and Knicks fans were starting to see it. 

On February 12, Lin gained national attention. In a win over the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers at Madison Square Garden, Lin dropped 34 points right in the face of the most glamorous team in basketball. This exceptional performance from Lin led Bryant himself to praise Lin: “He played extremely well”, Bryant stated postgame. Like many, Bryant had little to no knowledge of Lin, but his praise for him led to nationwide recognition of Lin's talent. 

In the next game, Lin had an iconic moment, one that has stuck in the memories of Knicks fans to the current day; On February 14th, 2012, The Knicks were the visiting squad to the NBA’s lone Canadian representative, the Toronto Raptors. Lin carried on his strong run of form in this game, scoring 27 points in total. In the last seconds of the fourth quarter, the fate of the game was in Lins’ hands; With the game tied at 87 each, Lin stood on the Raptors logo, searching for an open pocket in the Raptors’ defense to advance the ball up the court. When this opportunity failed to come, Lin took it into his own hands, advanced the ball up the court, and scored from deep with only 5 tenths of a second remaining. This game-winning 3-pointer proved to be the dagger in the hearts of Canadian basketball fans, who were now haunted by the image of Jeremy Lin in their dreams that night. This highlight lives on to the current day, racking up 8 million views in a clip on YouTube. 

Following the widespread national attention that came with “Linsanity”, there were many that wanted to see Jeremy Lin take part in that year's All-Star Game. Unfortunately, Lin was not selected to the All-Star roster, instead being selected to the Rising Stars Challenge, which took place during All-Star weekend. This event followed the same format as the NBA All-Star game, but instead featured up-in-coming players with superstar potential as opposed to the true superstars, who compete in the All-Star game. Even with the disappointment of being left off the Eastern Conference All-Star squad, Jeremy Lin was on top of the world. Little did he know, his star status would fade as quickly as it arrived.

Part II: The Fall of Linsanity

It’s important to note that when this unexpected hot streak took place, Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was hurt. Once he recovered, this meant that the focus of the team turned to supporting their star as opposed to supporting Lin. Lin played well from here on out, but nothing close to the caliber of his previous performances. Much of this drop in form came from a one-sided rivalry with Anthony, who was jealous of Lin taking the spotlight. The end of Linsanity would become even more clear with the Knicks announcing Lin had torn his meniscus on March 31st. The surgery meant that he would be out for the rest of the season.

When the season finally came to a close, there was still drama to follow in the Jeremy Lin saga. In the summer, Lin became a free agent, but there was an odd rule that allowed the Knicks to keep Lin if they matched a deal for him from another team. Lin, feeling that he had lost the respect of his teammates, went to the Rockets on a 3-year, $25 million deal. Some Knicks fans feel that Carmelo Anthony played a role in Lin leaving the squad, with him calling the fact that Lin had earned that $25 million dollar deal “ridiculous.”

While this brought an end to Linsanity, its legacy lives on, as even the mere mention of his name was enough to bring out emotions in those interviewed.  Knicks fan Kim Kelley also fondly remembered the event, stating that  “Jeremy Lin brought a new kind of energy to the Knicks that hadn’t been there before”. This can be attributed to Knick’s general playstyle being revolutionized and lively during Lin’s historic run. Lin himself was also a breath of fresh air for many due to his identity. An Asian, Harvard graduate was not a common sight in the NBA. His unique identity was inspirational to many Asian basketball fans, with Lin making them feel like they could belong in the non-Asain dominated world of basketball. Overall, this event shook the NBA and the sports world as a whole, proving that even a seemingly ordinary man like Jeremy Lin can have his name ingrained into the history books, forever.