The NBA goes Lin-sane over Jeremy Lin

In the space of a couple of weeks Jeremy Lin has gone from obscurity to global superstar

The brighter the lights, the bigger the stage, the better his game.

Those who have followed Jeremy Lin’s career have known of his ability to play his best when he’s playing the best.  Those who were there when he single-handedly led his team to victory over a California high school powerhouse to win a state championship saw it.  Those who were there when his Harvard team played an occasional ACC or Big East foe saw it.  But until ten days ago, no one had any reason to believe we would see this at the NBA level from a player who was probably within days, maybe hours, of getting kicked out of the league when Mike D’Antoni, who may have been within days, maybe hours of getting canned, unwittingly sparked a raging wildfire that has engulfed the concrete jungle of New York City and has spread across the country and the world.

When was the last time we saw anyone come from obscurity and reach global icon status as Lin has?  I would venture to say never.  My colleagues at ESPN have mentioned the likes of Fernando Valenzuela, Kurt Warner and Ken Dryden.  Good choices, but none of these athletes reached their zenith in less than two weeks.  And who knows with any certainty that his popularity has peaked?

So, why does “Linsanity” hold such world-wide appeal?

There are several factors at play here, but this story transcends sports and has captivated the attention of so many non-sports fans for this simple reason:  Everyone loves an underdog story.  Rocky.  Rudy.  The 1980 US Olympic hockey team.   And now, there is Jeremy Lin.

Each one of us wants to believe if we were given the chance, we would shine and that we would deliver when our preparation meets our opportunity.  We just need to be given that chance.  Until that moment arrives, Lin serves as the inspiration that provides hope that our time will come.

He went from sleeping on his brother’s couch and sitting on the end of the Knicks bench to leading Sportscenter on a nightly basis with one amazing performance after another.  For the past two weeks, not only has the dream been realised, every one of his basketball dreams have been exceeded.

So what is “Linsanity”?

It’s when a sold-out Madison Square Garden is chanting “MVP, MVP” at you, even though just a few weeks earlier security guards thought you were a member of the team’s training staff.

It’s when sporting goods stores in New York cannot keep your jerseys in stock, then must order more than 60,000 items to keep up with consumer demand.

It’s when players on other teams and star athletes from other sports are tweeting their admiration and support for you.

It’s when your games have received unusually high television ratings and the stock price of your team’s holding company has hit all-time high levels.

It’s when the President of the United States is discussing your previous night’s performance with his aides in the morning meeting.

It’s when watch parties are taking place around the world to witness how you will lead your team to another victory.

It’s one of the most amazing sports stories ever.

Michael Kim is the host of SportsCenter, the flagship US sports news programme on ESPN America – Sky channel 430, Virgin channel 531 and TalkTalk TV channel 566 – every weekday morning live from 6:00am with an updated show at 10:30pm, visit www.espnamerica.com. Watch Phoenix Suns @ LA Lakers live at 3:30am on ESPN this Friday. On Monday night, Atlanta Hawks @ Chicago Bulls at 9pm and Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks at 1am are both live on ESPN. ESPN and ESPN America are the exclusive home of live NBA, MLB, NFL Monday Night Football and NCAA US college sports in the UK. Watch NCAA Football and Basketball, including Bowl Games, BCS Games and March Madness on www.ESPNplayer.com

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