Linsanity!

(L)inspiration.

Jeremy. Bleeping. Lin.

One month ago the 7 people that follow Harvard Basketball and his mom were the only people who knew him.  Today, he is the starting point guard for the New York Knicks and the most talked about player in the NBA.  He has lead the Knicks to an 8-2 record and scored more points in his first five starts than anyone has in the last thirty years.  For the record, that includes Jordan, Lebron and Kobe.  Speaking of Kobe Bryant – arguably the best player alive – he was recently outplayed by one Jeremy Lin in MSG.  He’s even come through in the clutch with a game winning 3-pointer against Toronto.  Show me someone who predicted that and I’ll show you that weird kid from Jack Bauer’s new TV show. Despite all of the media attention, I believe that people are missing the real reason why this kid is so special.

The obvious thing that stands out is that he’s Asian but Jeremy Lin isn’t the first Asian to play in the NBA.  In fact, he’s not even the first one to make an impact.  Yao Ming was the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft and has played on multiple all-star teams.  Perhaps it’s the fact that he played at Harvard, a school known less for its athletic prowess than for spawning nerds that run the world?  This isn’t exactly a new phenomenon either.  There have been many players that have come from top academic schools including Hall of Famer Bill Bradley who attended Princeton.  No, what makes Jeremy Lin special is the fact that when we look at him, we see ourselves.

With most standout basketball stars, there’s a trait or an attribute that is unattainable.  Yao Ming was 7 foot, 6 inches tall.  Enough said.  Jeremy Lin (6’3”) is tall by normal standards but not freakishly-stare-at-him-in-the-street tall.  Lin doesn’t have lightening speed or the ability to jump out of the gym either.  For all intents and purposes, he’s normal.  When you listen to his interviews, its clear that he’s even surprised at his success.  It’s his visible insecurity, his story about living on his brother’s couch because his contract wasn’t guaranteed and sheer enjoyment that he shows on the court that acts as a mirror for the rest of us.  This is exactly how we would be if we played in the NBA… we wouldn’t be like Mike, we would be Jeremy.

The truth is, we aren’t Jeremy Lin and have no chance at being him.  Jeremy Lin has special skills that allow him to be one of the best in the world at what he does.  Just because he made it to the NBA does not mean that we can too.  However, it’s what Jeremy represents that we can all learn from.  Jeremy Lin has spent his entire basketball career being overlooked because he doesn’t fit into a box of preconceived notions.  Opportunities are limited to those who don’t appear to conform and 2^nd chances are even scarcer.  Most of us don’t have extraordinary gifts that leave the door of opportunity wide open. (If you are 7 feet tall, you can find a job playing basketball, even if you aren’t good.) But if we work extremely hard, stay positive and be prepared to seize that opportunity, special things can happen.  Jeremy Lin isn’t getting attention because he’s Asian; he’s on the front page because he hung 28 and 14 on the defending champs.  Greatness doesn’t have a race, nationality, size, weight or sexual preference.  Greatness is greatness and we can all be great at something.

Carpe Diem.