It is really hard to sum up what Jeremy Lin meant to the New York Knicks and his fans back in the early 2010s.
Although his time in the limelight was criminally short, Lin did some amazing things during the 2011-12 NBA season.
For that season, he was considered one of the biggest young athletes in the game and was even voted Breakthrough Athlete of the Year at the ESPY Awards.
The legacy of Linsanity.#38AtTheGarden, an original documentary that chronicles the extraordinary ascendence of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks, premieres October 11 on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/S8HwLAVZjp
— HBO (@HBO) September 20, 2022
Lin’s rise to the top of the rankings in the league is documented in “38 At The Garden”, a new HBO documentary chronicling Lin’s famous seven-game run that shook up the Knicks, got New York on its feet, and put him on the map.
People who weren’t watching the league back then probably don’t know much about Lin – but they should.
Remembering Linsanity
Lin had been waived by both the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets when he was signed by the Knicks in early 2011-12.
At first, he only played scarcely for New York but then he got a place in the starting lineup and everything changed.
Lin’s stellar play led the team to a seven-game win streak and it catapulted him to international fame.
He was the first Asian-American to achieve fame like that in the NBA and he completely dismantled many long-held stereotypes within the league and the fanbase around it.
Lin’s career after the “Linsanity” craze wasn’t as bright as that time with the Knicks.
He bounced around to the Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks, and Raptors, before leaving the NBA to play in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he remains an All-Star to this day.
Lin might not be a part of the American league anymore but his brief time leading the Knicks will always be fondly remembered.
NEXT: The Knicks Cannot Afford Another Lost Season