Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin is a Taiwanese American former professional basketball player known for his breakout run with the New York Knicks in 2012, a stretch widely called “Linsanity.” He played college basketball at Harvard University and later became the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA.

Jeremy Lin is a Taiwanese American former NBA point guard who became a global phenomenon during his 2012 breakout with the New York Knicks. He also won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, the first Asian American player to do so.

What it is

Jeremy Lin is a former professional basketball player best known for his unexpected surge with the New York Knicks in February 2012, a period dubbed “Linsanity.” He went undrafted out of Harvard University before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2010, but it was his explosive scoring and playmaking with the Knicks that made him an international sports phenomenon.

Why it matters

Lin is widely recognized as a trailblazer for Asian American athletes in the NBA. He was the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the league, and his 2019 NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors made him the first Asian American to win a title. That championship also ties him to one of the most celebrated seasons in Canadian basketball history.

Key details

Born in Torrance, California in 1988, Lin played high school basketball in the Bay Area and attended Harvard University. After going undrafted, he played for several NBA teams including the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and ultimately the Toronto Raptors. Following his NBA career, he played professionally in Taiwan.