It’s hard to believe this month marks 14 years since a 23-year-old Taiwanese-American point guard named Jeremy Lin took New York and the entire sports world by storm, putting together a two-week stretch of basketball for the Knicks that was as improbable as it was inspiring.
It was truly a moment in time in basketball, and one of the last times when it felt like there was true unity in the sports world around a desired outcome. Everyone was rooting for the unlikely hero to rehabilitate pro basketball in the most relevant city on the planet, and for a two-week span, it really did feel like we were all merely living inside Lin’s personal NBA 2K MyCareer save.
(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
The Foundation
Lin, who went undrafted in 2010 after a standout career at Harvard, spent his first stint in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors as a reserve to Monta Ellis and a young Stephen Curry. The seeds for Lin’s run as a front page star were planted at the very start of his time with the Warriors, as he developed a passionate fanbase among the sizeable Asian-American community in the Bay Area. Many in the Bay Area heard about him leading Palo Alto High School to a CIF state title and NorCal Player of the Year honors by Cal-Hi Sports. Still, Lin made just 29 appearances with the team before being waived in the weeks ahead of the lockout-delayed 2011-12 season.
Days after being waived by Golden State in December 2011, Lin landed in Houston for a cup of coffee with the Rockets. He was out almost as soon as he came in, however, and his career was quickly descending down the path of a player who got to wear an NBA uniform for a few seasons before quietly exiting the league.
Welcome To New York
Fortunately for Lin, the late start to the season left several teams (including the Knicks) in a desperate position for an extra reserve player to shore up their bench unit. The buzz that Lin generated during his time in Golden State kept his reputation reasonably high in league circles, so the Knicks quickly picked him up with the intention of either releasing him or sending him to the D-League once their usual guard rotation was back to full strength.
After Lin debuted and made a series of initial appearances with New York that December, the front office chose the latter option and sent him down to the developmental outfit in Erie. Lin seemed like the perfect example of an archetype that’s a bit more common nowadays, the great college player who is clearly too dominant for the D-League but not good enough to have a meaningful presence in the NBA. Still, the Knicks valued Lin’s intangibles and kept him in their system with the belief that they needed his services at a later date.
As fate would have it, that date would come sooner rather than later. Still dealing with a flurry of injuries that was now compounding into a season-threatening meltdown, Lin was again called up to the main roster. This time, though, his spot with the organization was in severe danger as the front office searched for fast answers to stop what was turning into a disastrous skid.
As his team’s freefall continued and no quick roster fixes presented themselves, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni was left with no choice but to give the kid Lin a shot. And man, did that shot ever turn into a spark for a team and a fanbase that so desperately needed it. Let’s reflect.
February 4, 2012: Linsanity Begins
With the Knicks having lost 11 of their last 13 games with All-Star Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets coming to the Garden, the Knicks thinning roster availability left D’Antoni no choice but to give a pair of reserves 30+ minutes off the bench in support of stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire. Some names on the DNP list for the Knicks that night? How about Baron Davis and Mike Bibby? Yup. Renaldo Balkman, too.
Power forward Jared Jeffries did a solid job with his extended minutes, scoring nine points on 4-of-10 shooting while hauling in 10 boards. Lin’s minutes that night changed the course of the Knicks season. He scored 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, in addition to dishing out seven assists and five rebounds while also notching two steals on the defensive end. Despite Carmelo leaving the game early due to injury, Lin’s performance led the Knicks to a timely 99-92 victory and put a halt to their recent tumble.
Day 1 of LINSANITY started 14 years ago today
Jeremy Lin was days from being cut & only played because the Knicks were on a back-to-back-to-back. He scored a game-high 25 off the bench vs All-Star Deron Williams.
Audio: @RingerNBA pic.twitter.com/5mAuybZOuw
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 4, 2026
Feb. 6, 2012: No Stars, No Problem
D’Antoni rewarded Lin for his heroics against New Jersey by giving him his first career start against the Utah Jazz two nights later, but basketball was the last thing on the Knicks’ mind heading into the Garden that night. The sudden death of Stoudemire’s brother, Hazell, in a car accident earlier that morning sent shockwaves through the organization and sidelined the All-Star for the game that evening. An off-night on the court would have been more than acceptable, perhaps even expected, for a team that was attempting to rally behind one of their brothers for a much larger purpose off of it.
The atmosphere in the Garden became even more subdued as Carmelo left the game midway through the first quarter with a strained right groin and didn’t return, an injury that led to a seven-game absence that served as one of the main catalysts behind Lin’s extended usage over the course of the following weeks. On this night, with both of the Knicks best players absent, Lin tallied 28 points and dished out eight assists, topping the career highs he set in both categories against the Nets.
Feb. 8, 2012: First Career Double-Double
With Melo and Amare out for the Knicks, Lin was quickly thrust into the role of the Knicks’ top offensive option heading into a critical stretch. Not that he hadn’t already done so in the previous two games, but with a starting lineup that featured fringe role players in Jeffries, Henry Martin and Landry Fields, it was obvious Lin had to be the guy D’antoni and the Knicks could count on to facilitate things.
Lin continued to take advantage of his growing opportunities, tallying an efficient double-double with 23 points (9-of-14 shooting) and 10 assists. He did get a little bit of help that night, as Tyson Chandler tallied 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Steve Novak scored 19 points while making 5-of-9 3-point attempts off the bench.
Feb. 10, 2012: Kobe, Meet Jeremy
Before Lin and the Knicks made their foray into Hollywood for a date against the legendary Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, the five-time NBA champion didn’t seem very phased by the prospect of facing New York’s out-of-nowhere star. While being questioned about Lin at morning shootaround, Kobe asked the surrounding media who Lin was and what he was doing that was so special, and while he wasn’t disrespectful about it, it was clear that Kobe didn’t necessarily have a target circled on Lin’s back.
After hearing Kobe’s comments on the way to the Staples Center, Lin has often said that he knew right then and there he was going to let the shots fly and make Kobe take note of who he was that night. While there was already significant media attention on Lin’s rising stardom, the performance he put on against the sport’s active patron saint at that point was what drove the front page push into overdrive. The 23-year-old outduelled Bryan in a 92-85 win, scoring 38 points on 13-of-23 shooting while Bryant tallied a far less efficient 34 points.
Safe to say Kobe learned the kid’s name that night.
14 YEARS AGO TODAY
Jeremy Lin scored 38 POINTS against Kobe & the Lakers at MSG.
Spike Lee after the game: “Yo LA, I betcha Kobe knows who Jeremy Lin is now. Lin sliced and diced ya ass for 38. Jeremy ‘Stop Asian Profi-‘ Lin.” pic.twitter.com/jPXHgBBpTN
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 10, 2026
Feb. 11, 2012: Stacking Shorthanded Wins
At this point, the Knicks were now riding a four-game win streak since Lin joined the rotation and had won the last three without either of their best players. With Carmelo and Amare out again at Minnesota, Lin fired off a then-career-high 24 shot attempts, but made just eight of them, finishing with 20 points. Still, despite posting the most inefficient shooting performance since his insertion into the lineup, Lin still found ways to create for his teammates and dished out eight assists to help push the Knicks to a fifth straight win in a narrow two-point victory.
Fields and Novak also served as unlikely heroes for New York in the win, as Fields scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Novak tallied 19 points on another 5-of-9 shooting night from beyond the arc.
Feb. 14, 2012: With Love, Toronto
Valentine’s Day 2012, for all intents and purposes, was the peak of Linsanity. With the entire sports world now fixated on the Hollywood script unfolding in New York, the Knicks were tasked with taking on a Raptors team in Toronto that was still a few seasons away from meaningfully contending in the East. It was also a special game for Lin because of the sizeable Asian fan and media presence in Toronto, a city that had already embraced him despite the fact that he hadn’t (yet) worn their jersey. Even when Lin came to town as a relatively unknown reserve on the Warriors, he attracted more of a media presence in Toronto than some of the NBA’s biggest stars.
For the first three quarters, however, it didn’t quite feel like Lin was channeling the energy of an opposing crowd that was more in awe of him than against him. The Knicks trailed by 17 points in the first half, and Lin was tracking toward another inefficient shooting performance. But to have true Linsanity, you needed a little bit of the unbelievable. That’s exactly what Lin’s fourth quarter was.
Lin tallied 12 of his 27 points in the fourth, as many points as the Raptors had collectively. After forcing the Knicks to scratch and claw their way to an 87-87 stalemate on their last possession, Lin took the ball at the top of the key with about 13 seconds left, signaled for the iso, and patiently waited for his opportunity as he always has. With two seconds left, Lin heaved the ball toward the basket. With .5 seconds left, it sailed through the bottom of the net, and the most iconic moment in an iconic run was born. 90-87, Knickerbockers. Six in a row
14 YEARS AGO TODAY
Jeremy Lin’s game-winning 3 in Toronto during Linsanity!
He also scored 12 of his 27 PTS in the 4th quarter & dished out 11 AST in the 17-point comeback win. pic.twitter.com/XZKym3RdpH
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 14, 2026
Feb. 15, 2012: Knicks Win Again Despite Quiet Night
With the Sacramento Kings in New York for the second leg of the Knicks’ road-to-home back-to-back, the first signs of fatigue from the previous 11 days began to appear in Lin’s game. Lin attempted just six shots in the game, although he made four of them and finished with 10 points. He was still every bit of himself as a facilitator, however, tallying what was then a career high 13 assists to help push the Knicks to a 100-85 win over their struggling opponent.
All in all, it was the Knicks’ most balanced performance as a team during the Linsanity run, so it really didn’t require Lin to be superhuman in all phases offensively. The win also brought the Knicks record to .500 at 15-15 for the first time since they started the season 2-2.
Feb. 17, 2012: The Winning Streak Finally Ends
The Knicks had to come back to earth at some point, and the time for that was a Friday night showdown against the New Orleans Hornets at Madison Square Garden. Exactly one week after Lin shot into superstardom with his performance against Kobe and the Lakers, his 26-point performance on 8-of-18 shooting just wasn’t enough to push the Knicks to an eighth straight victory.
This game also ended in some media controversy, as ESPN published a headline that attempted to make a pun of Lin and the Knicks loss with a racial slur directed at Chinese people. That, of course, only added to the national conversation surrounding Lin’s unlikely rise in the NBA. It also cost the editor his job.
Feb. 19, 2012: Lin Bounces Back With Last Hurrah
We didn’t know it yet at the time, but the Knicks’ 104-97 win over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 19 would be the retrospective end of what truly was “Linsanity”. That makes it even more poetic that Lin’s performance that evening was arguably the most complete game of his career, and as a result, it ended with the Knicks earning their most impressive victory of the entire run.
Lin tallied 28 points and set his final career high in assists with 14, while also racking up a career-high five steals. Lin set the tone early, helping the Knicks get out to a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter before mitigating the Mavericks’ brief second-quarter comeback effort. No other Knick even reached the 15-point mark that night against a red-hot Dirk Nowitzki and company, but Lin’s last great effort of the run that bore his name allowed the team to emerge victorious regardless.
Lin was Lin.
28 points. Career-high 14 assists. W. #LinsanityWeek pic.twitter.com/EXM0BMCEuv
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 2, 2020
Feb. 20, 2012 and beyond: Melo’s Return Ends Linsanity Run
Once Carmelo came back from his eight-game absence against the Nets on Feb. 20, it was all but the end of Linsanity. Lin was selected as a special entrant to the 2012 Rising Stars game on Feb. 24, but the Knicks were actively en route to losing eight of their next 10 games at that point. It became common talk show fodder to blame Carmelo for both the Knicks’ sudden skid and the eventual unceremonious end to Lin’s tenure with the team. On March 14, D’antoni, who was arguably Lin’s biggest proponent in the organization, resigned as head coach and was replaced with Mike Woodson, who took a decidedly pro-Carmelo approach.
On March 24, Lin reported a knee injury to the Knicks’ medical staff and was subsequently diagnosed with a season-ending left meniscus tear. Lin entered restricted free agency that ensuing summer and parted ways with New York, signing a 3-year, $25 million contract with the Houston Rockets that the Knicks declined to match. He would go on to play a decade in the NBA, winning a championship with the Raptors in 2019, while earning approximately $66 million in contract money over the course of his career.
Editor’s Pick
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