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Jeremy Lin Is Back in New York, and So Is a Glimpse of the Old Linsanity Jeremy Lin Is Back in New York, and So Is a Glimpse of the Old Linsanity
(35 minutes later)
The official return of Jeremy Lin to New York, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, began in a rather subdued fashion, with five other off-season acquisitions sharing the stage at an introductory news conference on Wednesday at the team’s practice facility in Sunset Park. As a throng of Chinese reporters crowded in front of him, Jeremy Lin briefly cast his eyes toward the distant skyline of Manhattan, the birthplace of Linsanity.
But as soon as the formalities ended, a touch of the old Linsanity returned: A crush of Chinese camera crews and news agencies descended on Lin, the most famous Taiwanese-American player in N.B.A. history. It has been four years since Mr. Lin seemed to inspire New Yorkers and Asians around the world with his mystical, mythical string of performances with the New York Knicks.
Lin, 27, signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets to be their starting point guard, returning to the city that first made him a star, albeit with the team’s rival New York Knicks. But now, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Mr. Lin says he has a different perspective on his fame and his popularity as the first American-born basketball player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent in the N.B.A.
Four years later, he now embraces his role as not only the Nets’ new floor leader, but a potential community leader, as well. “When it first started, I’m not going to lie, it was cool, and then it became a burden,” Mr. Lin said at the Nets’ practice facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. “I didn’t really know what I had gotten myself into. One, two, three, four years later, every year I embrace it more. Every year I’m more appreciative, every year I love it more.”
“Chinese people, Asian-Americans, Asians, they always have a special place in my heart,” Lin said Wednesday. “Coming back here, I want to be able to try to inspire the next generation, reach out in the community.” At 27, it is no longer enough to be just a leader for the Nets on the floor. “Chinese people, Asian-Americans, Asians, they always have a special place in my heart,” he said. “Coming back here, I want to be able to try to inspire the next generation, reach out in the community.”
Those precious weeks of 2012 were a heady time, one Lin admitted that even he did not fully understand then. A Harvard graduate and son of Taiwanese immigrants, Mr. Lin became an empowering figure not only for Asians, but for underdogs, long-suffering Knicks fans and New Yorkers mired in the doldrums in February, 2012. The team’s leader, Carmelo Anthony, was injured when Mr. Lin started a turnaround.
A Harvard graduate and son of Taiwanese immigrants, Lin became an empowering figure not only for Asians, but also for the underdog, for long-suffering Knicks fans, and for New Yorkers mired in the doldrums of that February. The team’s leader, Carmelo Anthony, was injured at the start of the run. Enter Mr. Lin, a journeyman who had been cut by two teams. Linsanity, in all its glorious euphoria, erupted.
Enter Lin, a journeyman who had been cut by two teams. Linsanity, in all its glorious euphoria, erupted. And then, several weeks later, Mr. Lin’s run was over, cut short by a season-ending knee injury, combined with the resignation of his coach, Mike D’Antoni. After the season, the Knicks allowed Mr. Lin to depart to the Houston Rockets via free agency.
And then, a few weeks later, it was over — cut short by a season-ending knee injury. After the season, the Knicks allowed Lin to depart to the Houston Rockets via free agency.
“As soon as he took off that New York uniform, that magic was gone,” said Andrew Kuo, 38, a New York-born artist and ardent Lin fan.“As soon as he took off that New York uniform, that magic was gone,” said Andrew Kuo, 38, a New York-born artist and ardent Lin fan.
But with Lin’s signing by Brooklyn, there is no doubt some hope that he can recapture a portion of that magic. The Lin-related artifacts of that time, like the sandwiches once named for him, grew stale. The puns faded from the lexicon.
Lin’s Asian-American celebrity gives the bottom-feeding franchise an undeniable boost in what is otherwise a rebuilding mode. As a former Knick star moving to the Nets, Lin’s signing is sure to create ripples along the Manhattan-Brooklyn fault lines. But his fame transcends that rivalry, uniting fans as far as California, Australia and Taiwan. “The Lin memes are done, it’s O.K., it’s extinct now,” Mr. Kuo said.
By moving back to a city with the largest Chinese population anywhere outside of Asia — 573,388 according to the latest United States census figures from 2014 — he will certainly have a broader, brighter spotlight. There is, however, the matter of that “Linsanity No. 17” tattoo on his left forearm. Mr. Kuo laughed and said that it might have been dumb. “But it’s nice to look down and remember it all,” he added.
“I think he belongs in New York,” said Jimmy Ching, 51, the proprietor of Pacificana, a sprawling dim sum palace in Sunset Park. Last year, Mr. Ching tuned all of the restaurant’s 10 televisions to Knicks games when Lin played against them as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Mr. Lin recalled how he wished he had stopped to enjoy that heady time more while it was swirling around him. As for Linsanity, he may have won the trademark, but he has mixed feelings about it; he does not intend to revive it.
“When he was at the Knicks, it was this momentum and the people and the whole area were rooting for him,” Mr. Ching added. “You see it in the Chinese communities. You see it in Brooklyn Chinese community, you see it in Manhattan Chinese community, you see it in the Flushing community. For that to happen — it was something. We pulled together.” “Not in a way that I’m offended, but it kind of dehumanizes me to refer to me as a phenomenon,” he said. “I’m going to be here, keep playing my game, and whatever you guys want to call it, it’s up to you guys.”
Since Lin signed with the Nets in early July, the team’s sales department has been working overtime, contacting Asian groups in New York to offer ticket packages. It was typical humility from a man who at the start of his Knicks career in 2012 was sleeping on his brother’s couch. In what seemed a quaint bookend to that time, Mr. Lin and his trainer, Josh Fan, stayed at an Airbnb rental on Tuesday night, just so they could be near the practice facility in Brooklyn. They turned down the Nets’ offer of a hotel room.
Brett Yormark, the chief executive of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, said that in response to Lin’s presence on the team, he scheduled a trip to China in August to discuss partnership opportunities with travel companies and packaged goods. “Our brand is pretty big there, obviously,” he said. Mr. Li—, wearing a new hairstyle featuring of tight braids atop his head, was officially introduced on a podium along with five other off-season acquisitions. Yet it is his celebrity that gives the bottom-feeding Nets franchise an instant marketing boost while in what is otherwise a rebuilding mode.-
Since Lin signed his three-year, $36 million contract with the Nets in early July, the team’s sales department has been contacting Asian groups all over New York to offer ticket packages.
Brett Yormark, the chief executive of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, said that in response to Mr. Lin’s presence on the team he had scheduled a trip to China in August to discuss partnership opportunities with travel and packaged good companies. “Our brand is pretty big there, obviously,” he said.
As for closer to home?As for closer to home?
“Obviously, when you think of Sunset Park — that’s an opportunity to ignite a potential fan base,” he said. “Everything is under discussion.” “Obviously, when you think of Sunset Park, that’s an opportunity to ignite a potential fan base,” he said. “Everything is under discussion.”
Ticket sales also go the old-fashioned route. Wilson Tang’s cellphone has been pinging with text messages for a month with requests for Nets tickets. The owner of Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown, Mr. Tang threw a celebrity viewing party for Lin in 2012 that people still talk about. Mr. Lin’s presence is sure to create ripples along Manhattan-Brooklyn fault lines, even though his fame transcends that rivalry, uniting fans from California to Australia and to Taiwan, where he holds summer basketball camps. He recently returned from his annual visit.
Once Lin left and the Knicks raised their season-ticket prices, Mr. Tang opted for season tickets courtside at Barclays Center, the Nets’ home. That move is now paying off. “He’s got a lot of fans there,” said Timothy J. Hwang, the New York bureau chief for Central News Network of Taiwan, who was among two dozen Chinese journalists covering Mr. Lin’s news conference. (Mr. Lin gave his first interview in Mandarin.)
“This is a dream come true for a basketball fan,” said Mr. Tang, who played a year of high school basketball at a city powerhouse, Christ the King. “To see a fellow Asian-American, I’m glad he’s back in New York, he’s in a market that will love him. And I will be there for all 44 games.” “He attracts a lot of attention, especially for the younger generation,” Mr. Hwang said. “Basketball is the most popular sport in Taiwan.”
In the four years since Lin ignited New York, his career sputtered in Houston, took a nose-dive in Los Angeles and then showed spark in Charlotte, where he came off the bench to produce some dominating playoff performances. His most ardent supporters see a different player now than the reckless, relentless guard trying to prove his worth. By moving back to the city with the largest Chinese population anywhere outside of Asia — 573,388 residents according to the latest United States census figures, from 2014 — Mr. Lin will certainly gain a broader, brighter spotlight.
“I think he belongs in New York,” said Jimmy Ching, 51, the proprietor of Pacificana, a sprawling dim sum palace in Sunset Park. Last year, Mr. Ching tuned all of the restaurant’s 10 television screens to Knicks games when Mr. Lin played against them as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
“When he was at the Knicks, it was this momentum and the people and the whole area were rooting for him,” Mr. Ching added. “You see it in the Chinese communities. You see it in Brooklyn Chinese community, you see it in Manhattan Chinese community, you see it in the Flushing community. For that to happen, it was something. We pulled together.”
Mr. Lin’s most ardent supporters see a different player now than the relentless, sometimes reckless, guard who once tried to prove his worth.
“The definition of Linsanity may have evolved,” said K.P. Chan, 68, a retired banker who lives in Bayside, Queens. “That was just sheer madness, that was epiphany. All the stars were aligned and all of a sudden, he had this breakout out of nowhere. But he has become a much more well-rounded, more complete player.”“The definition of Linsanity may have evolved,” said K.P. Chan, 68, a retired banker who lives in Bayside, Queens. “That was just sheer madness, that was epiphany. All the stars were aligned and all of a sudden, he had this breakout out of nowhere. But he has become a much more well-rounded, more complete player.”
Last year, Mr. Chan connected with two California fans via an internet forum to produce a YouTube video that questioned whether N.B.A. referees were neglecting to call flagrant fouls committed on Lin. Last year, Mr. Chan connected with two California fans via an internet forum to produce a YouTube video that questioned whether N.B.A. referees were neglecting to call flagrant fouls committed against Mr. Lin.
He also drafted a letter to the N.B.A. on the group’s behalf. “I just want him to be treated fairly,” Mr. Chan said. (The league issued a response on its website, saying it had “found no data that suggests Jeremy Lin is disadvantaged by our officiating staff.”)He also drafted a letter to the N.B.A. on the group’s behalf. “I just want him to be treated fairly,” Mr. Chan said. (The league issued a response on its website, saying it had “found no data that suggests Jeremy Lin is disadvantaged by our officiating staff.”)
Lin is the only Chinese-American in the N.B.A. In a way, he represents a new “model minority,” said Peter Kwong, a professor of urban affairs at Hunter College. As the only Chinese-American in the N.B.A., Mr. Lin represents a new “model minority,” said Peter Kwong, a professor of urban affairs at Hunter College.
“On the one hand, he does everything Asians are supposed to do — he went to Harvard — and on the other hand, he’s doing things Asians are not supposed to do: sports,” said Mr. Kwong, who specializes in Chinese immigration. “That is the charm of him.” “On the one hand, he does everything Asians are supposed to do — he went to Harvard — and on the other hand, he’s doing things Asians are not supposed to do: sports,” said Professor Kwong, who specializes in Chinese immigration. “That is the charm of him.”
But the lack of athleticism in Chinese communities is a myth; in China, in the Philippines, and in Asian-American communities across the United States, sports — especially basketball — are thriving. This weekend kicks off a national youth 3-on-3 tournament for AsianHoops, expected to bring thousands of boys and girls over two weekends. But the notion of a lack of athleticism among the Chinese seems to be an outdated stereotype, considering the popularity of basketball in Asia and the deep tradition of Asian basketball leagues across this country.
One Chinatown organization, Apex for Youth, runs a summer league that has grown from 50 children and six teams in 2012 to 200 children and 18 teams this summer. “People really don’t understand how some Asian kids could be good,” said Ryan Chin, 15, a mentor in the Apex for Youth basketball league. “I just want to thank Jeremy Lin.”
“People really don’t understand how some Asian kids could be good,” said one of the youth mentors, Ryan Chin, 15. “I just want to thank Jeremy Lin.”
Ryan got to do that in person last season, when he met Lin after the Hornets played the Nets. He hopes to earn enough money from his online sneaker business to buy tickets to multiple Nets games at the Barclays Center. His Jeremy Lin Air Force 1s (from the Knicks), however, are not for sale.
Most other Lin-related artifacts, like the sandwiches once named for him, have grown stale. The string of groan-worthy puns that his phenomenon “Linspired” have faded into the lexicon.
“The Lin memes are done, it’s O.K., it’s extinct now,” Mr. Kuo said.
There is, however, the matter of that Linsanity No. 17 tattoo on his left forearm. Mr. Kuo laughed sheepishly and said that might have been dumb. “But it’s nice to look down and remember it all,” he added.