09 February 2012

Jeremy Lin

If I have a son, his name would be Jeremy. That's a sentiment I think many Asian girls who are fans of basketball might be feeling.
I've been following the http://www.jeremylin.net/ blog since he joined the Warriors last NBA season. I always thought he was a good player starting from his UConn videos and summer league before he got drafted. He played "scared" while he was with the Warriors but I still believed. However, even I didn't dream that he'd have such a dramatic and magical "extended minutes" debut, leading to a linsane 10,000 surge in his Twitter followers and international media coverage.

Jeremy Lin was the reason I started following the NBA so closely last year with the Warriors. Now he's the reason I'm almost obsessed with the NBA. I can't stop telling people about him. I love his story. I love the fact that he's so humble and such a hard worker. I love the fact that he makes his teammates better and gives them opportunities to shine. He brings a team together. I love the fact that he passes the ball and keeps it moving. Anyone who's been an underdog would be inspired by his story. Anyone who's fought the stigma of stereotypes and perceptions that act as invisible walls. I wouldn't be surprised if his story translates to the cinema as another of those inspirational sports movies.

And even apart from my personal biases, J.Lin's basketball savy mesmerizes people. True, he makes mistakes on the court and critical eyes can identify serious weaknesses that might surface as he progresses. But I would say, J.Lin doesn't have anywhere to go but up. Nobody doubts that he's going to work hard enough to improve where he's weakest. Jeremy has always had skills and fundamentals. He struggled with the Warriors but now that he's passing the social stigmas of Asian Americans in basketball, he can focus on improving and maturing into a great and popularly well-liked NBA professional.

"I've given up trying to compare JL to anyone. He isn't the "Next" anything. He's the FIRST Jeremy Lin." (a comment by zxcvb on jeremylin.net)
So true. So true.
P.S. The Lin-Chandler-Novak combination = triple threat!

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