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This Is Why I’m Hyped for Jeremy Lin

I, along with a lot of my friends, New York Knicks fans, and sports fans, have become obsessed with the phenomenon known as Jeremy Lin. It’s gotten to the point where I think my followers on Twitter and Facebook are probably thinking I’m getting obnoxious, even though I’m normally one who tries to keep multiple postings on the same subject down to a minimum.

So what the heck makes Jeremy Lin so important that I break my self-imposed rule? I think my old Asian American Studies Student Advisor, mentor, and friend Oiyan Poon describes it well:

And it’s true, in the scheme of things, it’s not first black man as President of the United States-type stuff, but it sure feels amazing like it. It may be more apt to compare this to the feeling that many must have felt when Jackie Robinson broke color barriers in baseball. Because he didn’t just play ball, he played ball well. (Admittedly, Lin is not the first Asian American in the NBA). 

In my eyes, Jeremy Lin’s performance in the past four games ripped to shreds centuries of the emasculation of the Asian American male. He made the Lakers’ seven footers eat his dust, he turned his second string teammates into weapons, and he brought the crowd in one of the greatest arenas in sports to its feet in roaring applause. A year ago, he was just some Asian guy sitting at the end of the bench playing even less than garbage minutes. Today, he’s lifting the spirits of his Asian American brethren, and making us feel like we can be equals on the court, too.

Yeah, I know, we’ve always played ball. Back in middle and high school, I had a mean crossover and I remember amazing my dad’s coworkers at gym with a baseball pass to a cutting teammate. I’ve had friends who’ve played varsity ball, and I’ve heard of a few who played some Division II college games. But for me and my fellow Asian American dudes, we knew that was pretty much the extent of our basketball careers. Our bodies simply weren’t built the way white and black dudes were. We didn’t know of Asians in basketball except for guys like Yao Ming, who really felt more like an exception to the rule, with his freakishly tall frame. His foreign status separated him from us in a way that Jeremy Lin’s Palo Alto born-and-bred origins don’t.

But let’s face it, we didn’t even believe in Jeremy Lin any more than we believed in ourselves. When we saw him, we saw us. In what is perhaps an act of self-hatred or self-defeat, we were just as discriminatory toward him as that coach that told him that volleyball practice was being held elsewhere. Yeah, when he was on the Warriors, we’d cheer him on, but there was a sense of irony and tokenism. Admit it, we didn’t think he was going to really do anything. We hoped, but we didn’t believe. At best, we thought he’d be a decent role player.

Nothing prepared us for that fateful day on February 3rd vs the New Jersey Nets where he dropped a bomb on everyone, and became not only a hero to Knicks fans, but to Asian Americans everywhere. Finally, we saw not just an Asian American who made it, but a man who could become a star and make us feel like we might get picked first in PE. He made us feel like everyone else would see us and think that we could be just as dangerous. Kinda manly, ya know?

Which is funny, because we thought it would happen on scripted television first. We were waiting for the next Bruce Lee. We were hoping Daniel Dae Kim would flex his abs into the hearts of America. Never in our wildest dreams did we think that something this big would happen in the NBA.

[DEM ABS]

This past game versus the Lakers, he kept his poise and dropped 38 on a team, that while isn’t quite as good as it was a few years ago, still has a Top 5 defense. He also happened to outscore one of the greatest to ever do it.  I say without any hyperbole that it was awe-inspiring. Now analysts everywhere say he’s no flash in the pan. He’s “legit”.

As a Suns fan, things have been depressing in the past few seasons. But I found someone whose story goes beyond team loyalties. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much pure joy from watching basketball. I’m having the time of my life right now watching a guy who breaks color barriers, runs a beautiful pick and roll, and makes little Asian boys feel like they can pick up a ball and dream of the NBA. That’s why I’m cheering for Lin.