Jeremy Lin and his Linsanity run with the New York Knicks is still a subject of interest and debate among NBA fans more than a decade later. To those who might not be aware, Lin is a former NBA star and is one of the few players who was in the league of Taiwanese descent. Lin spent his career with several teams but is best known for his time with the New York Knicks.
Former Knicks stars Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis recently had a podcast together. In it, they discussed a point in time where Linsanity was at its peak as well as Jeremy’s and their own personal feelings on that impressive run. Since this was several years ago, newer NBA fans must undoubtedly want to know more on the subject.
Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis explain that Jeremy Lin never cared about money
For all those who do not know about Linsanity, it is referring to a brief stretch of time in February 2012. Baron Davis was the starting point guard for the New York Knicks while Jeremy Lin was added to the roster as a bench player. Lin was finally given a chance to play as a starter and went on a rampage that the basketball community simply did not see coming.
Over a 13-game period, Jeremy Lin averaged 25 points, 9.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. The Knicks had done badly and were struggling to win games before Lin was given an opportunity to start. During the Linsanity period, Jeremy led the Knicks to a record of 10 wins and 3 losses.
During a recent podcast, Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis revealed that Lin was against promoting himself and making the best use of his small stretch of dominance. This must sound quite surprising given that any other player in the league would undoubtedly want to make the best of their situation.
“People don’t know that behind the scenes we were very supportive…We was in the locker room trying to get him a…He didn’t even know how to get a deal…He was like no I don’t even want to take this deal….I was like n***a what?… This is just me. Linsanity could have been a $100 million business easy. Easy.”
The former stars went on to reveal that Jeremy Lin simply did not care a great deal about the money or capitalizing on his situation. His parents had raised him differently and Lin simply wished to make a name for himself in the league. Linsanity finally ended after Jeremy sustained a torn meniscus and missed the rest of the season.
Linsanity is still debated heavily by NBA fans today
Given that Lin had been on a huge minutes restriction and played in just 8 of the 21 games of the season prior to being allowed to start, fans are still unable to comprehend how he dominated the league from the very beginning. Especially since he was heavily underestimated and could not be considered a hyped-up draft prospect by any stretch of the imagination.
In any case, all good things must come to an end. Lin’s period of dominance lasted for only a few weeks. Although he was given more playing time on other teams over the following years, he was never able to play at the level that he showed during that brief stretch with the New York Knicks.