[ kicking door ]
[ rhythmic music ]
Man: Hey!
Jeremy Lin: So it was like
my second or third home game,
And I hadn't even
been in a game yet,
And I had tried to get
in the gym,
And they stopped me.
And they were like,
"oh, sorry, this is
the players' entrance. "
I was like, "I know. "
He looked at me confused,
And then so I was looking
at him confused.
And then he was like,
"oh, I'm sorry.
Are you a trainer?"
And I was just kind
of just like standing there.
And then another
security guard came over
And, like, whispered,
"I think he plays on the team. "
P.A. Announcer:
At guard it's...
Number 17, Jeremy Lin!
[ crowd cheering ]
Shirley Lin:
Hey, Jeremy.
Hi.
[ laughs ]
Commentator: Nobody
thought he could play.
He had to fight for
everything that he got.
Commentator 2: It's not often
you think you've seen something
You couldn't possibly see
in the NBA.
Announcer:
Lin puts it up!
Bang!
Dan Patrick: Wait a
minute. Who's this kid?
Wait. Where's he from?
Wait. Not drafted?
Wait. How many teams
waived him?
Commentator 3: When
this guy is playing,
And golden state doesn't
know he's any good,
Houston doesn't know
he's any good,
I got to imagine that
something has to do with
He doesn't
look the part.
Commentator 4: Jeremy Lin
came from nothing to greatness.
Hey, this kid is giving hope
to all those kids
That think,
"never could I have a chance. "
I always told myself
my progression is gonna be
Become a rotation player,
become a starting point guard,
And then win
an NBA championship.
And people are definitely
gonna laugh when they hear that.
You know, they're
not gonna be laughing
If it actually happens.
[ drum cadence playing ]
Crowd: [ chanting ]
de-fense!
De-fense!
[ arena organ playing ]
P.A. Announcer: New York foul
is on Shumpert, his second.
Color analyst: And now,
he'll have to take a seat,
And, again, mike,
look who's coming in.
Announcer: Jeremy Lin, and
you hear a pretty big ovation.
[ sound fades,
heartbeat-like drum playing ]
Jeremy: I know god orchestrated
this whole thing.
There's just too much
out of my control.
And just the way it happened
is just miraculous.
[ parents shouting ]
Coach: Jeremy!
[ clapping ]
Jeremy:
It's actually true.
After, I think,
age maybe 8 or 9,
We got rid of the TV,
And we would just get it
during the playoffs.
We would watch it
in the house
And then, in the backyard,
There's a glass door
and a hoop outside,
So we would just watch
through the window,
And then any time there was,
like, a break or a time-out,
We'd go out,
and we'd do the exact move
That just happened.
And it was pretty much all
just copying Michael Jordan
And watching him win.
And so we loved watching
basketball that way,
And it was always
a dream of mine,
But I didn't actually think
it would be a reality.
Paul Shaffer: Where
did you get this done?
Downtown. Oh, yeah? Down in the village?
Can you take a look?
Look at this.
Let me see what you...
This is the back of...
[ laughter and applause ]
What do you think?
Shaffer:
Beautifully done.
Yeah. [ laughs ]
Lintastic.
Thank you.
Daniel Dae Kim:
Every kid has a dream.
Some want to be a fireman,
others an astronaut.
Most of the time,
dreams are just dreams.
This dream starts
in Palo Alto, California,
A suburb of San Francisco,
Where a young man learns
about faith,
Perseverance,
and opportunity.
Cheese!
[ Gieming Lin
speaking chinese dialect ]
Joshua Lin: My dad was
taking us to the YMCA.
We were still, like,
in elementary school.
There's like open gym Monday,
Wednesday, fridays,
From like 7:30 to 9:30.
[ growling ]
Jeremy: And we would just
come home from school,
And we would just all do our
homework as fast as possible.
And then when someone couldn't
finish their assignment,
Then we would go
and help them,
So if I couldn't finish,
Josh would come over
and help me.
If Joe couldn't finish,
You know, we would go
over and help Joe.
That's everything we've
always known is just, you know,
Having each other and being
best friends with each other.
[ piano playing ]
I didn't want to play
the piano,
And I was horrible
at the piano.
Like, every year,
the recital would come around,
And I'd be pretty much
playing the same song.
[ piece concludes ]
[ applause ]
And they were just like,
"this is not working.
"I'm wasting my money.
"all he does
is play basketball,
So let's just let him
play basketball. "
As we grew
to love the game,
My mom became
a huge supporter.
I think she could just see
that we loved basketball,
That we were
passionate about it.
And she's passionate
about us,
So whatever
we wanted to do,
She always
wanted to support us.
She always drove.
She was always a team parent
For every njb, aau
That Jeremy played for,
that I played for.
She was always there.
She was
always supporting us.
You know, not every mom,
asian mom especially,
Is gonna support
their child playing basketball.
Cheese!
[ Shirley Lin speaking
chinese dialect ]
Hi!
Strong will.
Interviewer:
Strong will?
Strong will.
If he wants something,
He will do anything
to get that thing.
So he will knock
his head on the ground.
He will just
make himself fall.
He will do anything
to get what he wants.
hark,
the herald angels sing
glory
to the newborn king
Jeremy: Growing up, my family
always emphasized god first,
School second,
athletics third.
In the beginning,
they weren't sure
How long I could
play basketball.
They were just gonna
ride it out
And have fun with it
as long as we could.
Jim Sutter: I got invited to
a y league game in Palo alto.
And he's
just this little kid.
You know,
you wouldn't think it,
But he just scored
the basketball so well.
The first tournament
we played,
And he just starts
just raining 3-pointers.
Yeah!
They will say
I am so loud,
Because I will keep
talking, "defense!"
You know,
"get a rebound!"
Man: Yeah!
Sutter:
Of course, mom's like,
"how many points
did he score?"
She'd say, "I told you
he was pretty good. "
I go, "I know. I know
he's pretty good. "
Shirley: All the AAU team,
they never want Jeremy,
Even though he's the best
point guard at that time.
Only this particular AAU,
Metro mirage,
want him so bad.
Shirley:
Yeah, Jeremy!
Jeremy: I love
being the underdog
Just because it's
just what I'm used to.
You know, I would be good
in this league,
And then people would say,
"oh, but he can't play well
in this league. "
Shirley: Every time Jeremy play
against somebody who people say is good,
If Jeremy played better,
Then they start thinking,
"that person's not good. "
They don't
give Jeremy credit.
There's a $14
extra-large burrito
That's like this.
Oh, my gosh, you should
totally get that.
Jeremy, you gonna
get the big one?
Jeremy: Yeah.
Man versus food.
I'm about to beast this.
Jeremy: I don't know
how I got so tall, dude.
I ate a lot.
I would hang
from monkey bars.
Um, I would lie off the edge
of my bed thinking
That gravity would pull me
and make me taller.
When I was 5'3"
as a freshman in high school,
I remember...
my mom remembers this, too...
I would get in the car
every single day,
And they'd be like,
"why aren't you taller?"
Like, "this is
why I'm so short. "
She always said,
"blame your dad.
I'm not that short. "
She's 5'6".
For an asian woman,
that's pretty tall.
And my dad's also 5'6".
I think my biggest
influence on him as a player,
The most constant dominant
conversation we had
Was him creating
for others.
In high school,
he knew he could get by
And do well
on his talent.
A lot of kids,
and him especially,
It was
all about scoring.
And my constant
conversation,
My constant challenge
with him was,
"Jeremy,
you're a creator.
"you could
really be the man
If you just embraced who
you are as a player. "
During his junior year,
Jeremy emerged
as the Vikings star.
With every game,
his skills and confidence grew,
But so did his ego.
Jeremy: We were like
30 and 1 at one point.
We were
killing everybody.
I was starting to get
a big head,
Thinking I was sweet
and everything,
And then I get hurt.
Jeremy had a tradition
of shooting around
The night before
his high school games.
But on the eve
of the state semifinal game,
The high school gym
was closed,
And Jeremy played in a pick-up
game at his local YMCA.
That night,
Jeremy fractured his ankle,
And his faith
would be tested.
I just pretty much
broke down.
Um, I broke down crying.
Up until then, like, I'd never
gone through any serious tragedy.
That was the worst thing
that ever happened to me.
With Jeremy on the bench,
The Vikings hopes for a state
championship quickly faded.
You know, from
a high schooler's perspective,
That's like everything.
I told him
to take a step back
And to look at it
from a bigger perspective.
I remember my brother
sent me this really long letter.
He talks about how god
gives and takes away.
And so god took what I really
cared about at that time
To show me that I can't do
what I want to do,
I can't accomplish what I want
to accomplish without him,
And that nothing
in this world, in my life,
Will happen that's
not according to his plan.
Pastor Stephen Chen:
When David faced goliath,
He didn't know the outcome,
But he was zealous
for the living god.
With Jeremy, I know he puts
the order, god first,
Family second,
basketball third.
And he'll tell you
this now at least.
Looking back, it's more of,
god is in all those things.
And in high school,
he was humbled.
He learned that he couldn't
do everything himself.
Man: Amen.
And he could only put
his faith in god.
Jeremy:
I told myself,
I have one year left
of guaranteed basketball.
I said I'm gonna do
everything I can,
And I'm gonna
go out fighting,
And I'm gonna make sure
that we get back here.
Mitch Stephens: He had unusual
poise for a high school senior,
Unusual confidence.
There was something about him
that I could see
Why he was a great leader
on the court,
'cause you're
just driven to him.
You can feel
his heartbeat.
Every close game
they had,
Jeremy Lin
was making a big play.
And it was
every different way...
A 3-pointer, a steal
at the end of the game.
But every one,
he was in the middle of.
He was
the guy doing it.
Announcer: Lin takes
a jump shot right side.
Hits!
Oh, a nice jump shot.
Lin for 3. Buries it!
Nothing was going
to stop Jeremy
From getting his team back
to the state championship,
And, soon enough,
Palo alto faced goliath.
Announcer: Inside Arco arena,
it's Mater Dei and Palo Alto.
It's the cif division ii
state championship
Just moments away
from tip-off.
[ mouthing words ]
Stephens: I think a lot
of people just assumed
That getting to
the state championship game,
Palo alto would be
satisfied with.
Jeremy Lin would be
satisfied with it.
And it was just much more
of a formality
When they played
mater Dei high school.
Southern California schools
dominate the rankings.
They're the powers
that be.
Palo alto, out in the
suburbs, not so much.
Announcer: Everybody said
mater Dei was the team,
Mater Dei is the big dog.
Mater Dei,
number 11 in the country.
Diepenbrock: The whole
week leading up to the game,
It was just like, "how
we gonna get a rebound?
How we gonna
be able to play?"
Jeremy: I remember walking
around campus,
And there are
all these reporters.
And they'd be like, "oh,
you think you can win?"
Like, "how you
gonna beat 'em?"
And everyone's asking me,
my friends were asking me.
By the end, they're like,
"you think you can beat 'em?"
I was like, "man, just come
to the game and watch. "
Along with Mater Dei's
Decorated history
and dominant reputation,
This varsity team
had 8 players over 6'6".
Gary McKnight: I was kind of relieved
that we were playing Palo alto,
But the more I watched them
on tape, I just had a feeling.
You know what?
These guys are better
than I thought.
You know, you don't get to the
state finals by not being good.
Announcer: Here's lin.
Needs something good,
and he finally got it.
Diepenbrock: We were
not intimidated at all
And really came out
playing our game.
Announcer: Here's lin. Oh,
there's that quick first step
That they talked about.
Palo alto on a 9-2 run,
and that's over.
That kid can throw
the triple.
Everybody on paper
would say the size,
The athleticism, the quickness
is with the monarchs,
But it's the heart
that is with the Vikings,
And their heart has been
on display so far tonight.
McKnight:
At the end of the game,
He hit the big shots
at the big moments.
Announcer: Here's lin.
Without that 7-footer,
he can go to the rack!
McKnight: When the game was on
the line, yeah, he took over.
Announcer: Four seconds
on the shot clock,
And Lin is gonna
have to launch a 25-footer.
Oh, it went in!
Did he call that?
I think he called that.
[ horn sounds ]
It happened.
No one gave them
a prayer to be on the floor
With the athletes
and the thoroughbreds
That the monarchs have.
Jeremy: It's the best
feeling to go out on top.
I mean, it is
a dream come true.
Announcer: It's why we love
high school basketball
Because of faces like that.
Diepenbrock: When I
really looked at everything,
Everything
a basketball player
Could do for himself
individually
And for a team,
Jeremy Lin was
the best player here,
But yet colleges
weren't clamoring for him.
He just didn't fit the mold.
Jeremy:
After my senior year,
I was just dying to play
in college,
And I felt
like I deserved it.
I remember it was
just a very long process,
Very frustrating,
because I was going
From Pac 10 school
to Pac 10 school.
I couldn't even get
Some division iii schools
to look at me.
And I was dying
to go to Stanford.
Um, I would go there
and play with them all the time.
I would always ask their coach,
you know,
"what can I do
to play for you?"
Yeah, I've always said,
if I was black,
I would have gotten
a d-1 scholarship,
But that's
my personal opinion.
Diepenbrock:
Well, he's an asian kid.
He's an asian kid,
and he's not 7-foot tall.
And you don't see
a lot of asian point guards
Making it
in division I basketball.
Such a simple kind of thought,
but that was the thinking.
Josh fan: I say...
I say he's relatable.
He's one of the most
down-to-earth guys I know.
We're always joking around.
We're always, you know,
pranking on each other.
Jeremy: Um, did you see
the blue accented stuff?
Fan: I did see it.
You like that blue?
Yeah. I really
like that blue,
'cause when I walk in,
I don't want it to be
like black, white, black.
I want people
to be like, "dang. "
Oh, shoot, son.
Different walls
need different accents.
These are clearance.
[ laughing ]
Yeah, dang, look at that.
Look at this. 10 bucks.
I think when people
hang out with him,
They just realize
he's just...
You know, he's human.
Sounds good. All right,
see you later, bro.
Despite being named
player of the year
And winning
a state championship,
Jeremy's only offer
To play basketball
on the collegiate level
Was from a small university
Called Harvard.
Jeremy:
My first day at class,
I was
just super-intimidated.
I went and took
my math placement test,
And they were like, "if you
don't know how to do this,
Feel free to turn it in
and leave. "
I looked at it
and I was, like,
"dude, I don't know
what's going on here. "
So I turned it in,
and I was,
Like, maybe the second person
who turned it in.
I was like,
"man, I just, like,
Failed my first test
at Harvard. "
The next day, we had
the chinese placement test,
And they gave us the test,
and they're like,
"if you can't read it,
just turn it in. "
I couldn't read it,
so I turned it in again,
And that was
back-to-back failed tests
Without even
filling in an answer.
I called my mom,
I was like, "man,
This is gonna be pretty tough,
so just get ready. "
[ laughs ]
Pablo Torre: In a lot of ways,
Jeremy Lin going to Harvard
Was a very logical thing.
There were 23 asian-americans
at Harvard
Whose last name was lin.
And so for Jeremy Lin
to show up at Harvard,
Being this asian-american kid,
Who had a perfect math
sat ii score was,
You know, nothing rare.
But the fact that he was
amazing at this game,
The question was then
how did he fit in at Harvard?
Announcer:
There is Tommy Amaker,
1987 graduate of duke,
of course,
First year at Harvard,
11th year overall
as a head coach,
180 career wins.
With the hiring of former
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker,
Harvard was committed
to a new era
In their basketball program.
Amaker was a star player
at duke university,
Then spent nine years
as an assistant coach
To the legendary
Mike Krzyzewski.
The basketball landscape
at Harvard
Was about to be transformed,
And Jeremy
was leading the charge.
Tommy Amaker: We knew we had
something pretty interesting,
Especially with Jeremy,
Because of how hard he
worked, first of all,
And how important
basketball was to him.
And then his talent.
I think he was
very much underrated,
And I think he wanted
to play in the style
And the system, you know,
That we were
gonna implement,
Which is gonna
be high octane.
And he's a hard-charging,
Aggressive,
fearless player.
Announcer:
A steal by Jeremy lin.
He's gonna go in
for the easy jam.
Announcer 2:
Looking up ahead,
Lin splits defenders
and lays it in!
Kenny Blakeney:
In my 15 years of coaching,
My four years at duke,
I've never seen anybody
Work as diligent
and as hard as Jeremy.
He came in every day
and put the work in.
We watched film every day.
We did work
before and after practice.
He busted his tail,
And he did all the things
that we asked him to do.
Announcer: Top of the circle,
deep 3, Jeremy Lin!
It seems the bigger the
game, the better he played.
Announcer:
It's big east basketball,
As the 13th ranked UConn huskies
host the crimson of Harvard.
Color analyst: Now, keep
an eye on Jeremy Lin today.
This is the type
of player
That can single-handedly
help the crimson
Pull off
a miraculous upset.
Amaker: He was the best player
on the floor.
You know,
that's saying a lot
When you're speaking
of a team
That was
the caliber of Connecticut.
Color analyst:
Wow!
Announcer: What a move on
the runner off the glass.
Oliver McNally: I think that's
when everybody was like,
"all right, he's more than just,
like, a good college player.
Like, he just made
a very good team look bad. "
Announcer: Casey had it knocked
away, and a steal by Dyson.
Takes Lin to the basket,
And Lin blocks him
at the rim!
Color analyst:
What a block.
Amaker:
Scoring 30 points there,
Being a force to deal with
in every way.
Announcer: Back to Lin top
of the key, pump fake, drives
And throws it down
with both hands!
Oh, what a dunk
by Jeremy Lin!
Amaker: He kept us believing
all the way through
That we have a chance.
This guy's leading this team
in every category, not just one.
I mean, it wasn't like
he was just a scorer.
He was the best
defensive player,
He was the best
rebounder, the best passer.
You know, he pretty
much could do it all.
Blakeney: It was just kind
of like those moments
Where it was crunch time
and winning time,
You know,
who's gonna step up?
Announcer: Back the
other way, comes to Gurdy,
Into the frontcourt.
Drives down
the right lane line,
Goes up with the right hand!
Lays it in!
Three seconds left!
Harvard back the other way!
Down by a point,
Jeremy Lin!
Bumped at midcourt!
He's fouled,
but got it to go!
Harvard wins it!
Harvard wins it!
Unbelievable!
Jeremy Lin
on an unbelievable shot,
And Harvard has won
In the most
improbable fashion!
I don't believe it!
Jeremy:
When I was growing up,
I was playing
in the AAU tournaments.
We would play in games,
And a couple of times,
people would be like,
"yo, take your ass
back to china,"
Or like, "you're
a chinese import," or whatever.
When I got to college,
it just, like, got crazy.
It was just like,
"you chink!"
You know, "can you even
open your eyes?
Can you see
the scoreboard?"
You know,
just like crazy stuff.
And I'd just be like,
"dude, like, what is going on?"
Being in the spotlight
Brought Jeremy
an inevitable byproduct:
Attention,
both positive and negative.
I mean, people look at
basketball players in terms of...
Of race
a lot of times.
Basketball
is not considered
An asian sport
here in America.
We'd be playing
on the road,
Specific gyms
in the ivy league,
And they would yell
racial slurs to him.
Torre: It was shocking to me
to see racial taunts
In the ivy league,
Because you think
that at that level,
Certainly in the supposed,
you know,
Very academically
progressively oriented
Group of schools full of
asian students on their campuses
That that would be something
that was unthinkable,
But it wasn't.
Blakeney: I just told him,
it's a sign of respect.
Yeah, they're ignorant,
But at the end
of the day,
They're trying to get
in your head.
You're thinking
about what they saying
And not thinking
about the game.
Blakeney: I think we were
just working out,
And kind of was like,
you know
"j, can I speak to you
for a moment?"
Jeremy: He sat me down,
Like, right outside
the gym on the stairs,
And he was like...
"I don't know if anybody's
ever told you this,
But I think you can be
an NBA player. "
And he kind of looked
at me like, you know,
He just saw Santa Claus
or something.
You know, I was just like,
"you're crazy," you know.
I was like,
"dude, you are crazy. "
My mom, you know,
would be like,
"you can make it
to the NBA."
"all right. Um, okay, mom. "
Shirley:
Is this possible?
I thought maybe
he really...
Really have a chance.
When the question
was broached,
Is Jeremy Lin good enough
to make the NBA,
That's when I think a lot
of the interest started surging.
Man: Can you tell me the
history of this blanket?
Oh, this blanket
is legendary.
Yeah?
It's all
about lion king.
We have nala right here,
Baby simba,
timon and pumbaa.
This is one of my favorite
blankets of all time.
What about the sesame street blanket?
No. My second favorite
is the Garfield,
And then sesame street.
[ laughs ] oh, man.
All right, fans.
Good evening,
and welcome to the 2010 draft
At Madison square garden
in new York city.
The first round, we weren't
expecting really much of anything.
Tonight marks
the realization of a dream
For the best young players
in the world.
We were just
all real nervous,
Just 'cause there were so
many odds to overcome for him.
And with the first pick,
the Washington wizards
Select john wall from
the university of Kentucky.
[ cheering and applause ]
I was hopeful,
but to be completely honest,
I was like, "let's just wait
and see what happens. "
The thing that I'm always
interested in is race
And the way discrimination,
you know, rears its ugly head.
I was really interested in seeing
if a team would take the plunge
And take this
asian-american player.
You know, it was funny.
Like, the team that I had
the highest chance
To get drafted by
was the Knicks,
'cause I crushed
that workout.
With the 39th pick
in the 2010 NBA draft...
I was like, "if I don't
get drafted here,
I probably
won't get drafted. "
The new York Knicks select...
I'm thinking like, "oh, if I
get drafted, what's gonna happen?
"I'm just gonna run around,
like, hugging everyone.
I'm gonna fly
to new York tomorrow. "
Landry fields
from Stanford university.
[ crowd booing and shouting ]
10 minutes
after the draft ended,
Donny nelson,
the general manager
Of the Dallas mavericks,
personally called Jeremy
And asked him to play
on his summer league team.
I think everyone who
goes undrafted, you know,
Feels like they have to prove
themselves, because they do.
And so, you know,
this is a chance
Where you get to play
against people
Who are drafted
every single night,
And you get to compete
with them in practice.
And this is the best
opportunity to, you know,
Prove to
all the other teams
That you deserved
to be drafted
And you deserved
to have that contract.
Joel Meyers:
Lin, surprise attack.
Oh, this is gonna
be interesting.
Sanders there,
Lin protected it home!
Wow! Nice play.
I hoped that Jeremy
would make it,
Because I had confidence
in his ability,
But I was skeptical
In terms of him getting
a real shot anywhere.
P.A. Announcer:
Jeremy Lin!
And then I watched him play
In the summer league
against john wall.
Meyers: I think we got
a primetime match-up.
John wall, the number one
overall selection.
Wall, creative!
On the reverse.
How fast was that?
Sutter: I talked to him
the day before
He was gonna play
against john wall,
And I told him,
"it's your one shot.
There's no doubt that you
can play against the guy. "
Meyers: Lin.
Lin gettin' up there!
Chris Webber: He's gonna
be an NBA crowd favorite.
Meyers:
Gotta work on the d.
Lin went right around
him on his strong side.
Torre: The fact
that he could do that
Against the number-one player
in the NBA draft was tremendous.
Meyers: Assessing,
constructive criticism.
Webber: No way.
Man!
If you explode on him,
you'll have something.
You're gonna
get your opportunity.
Webber: As he splits,
spins...
Oh, no, ref!
Don't you do that!
Meyers:
They're on their feet!
Oh, my god. This is
about to be a melee here.
Hold 'em back,
hold 'em back!
[ laughing ]
Oh, look it, the crowd
is going crazy!
Commentator:
He's opened some eyes,
And if Lin doesn't stick
with the Mavs,
There are teams out there
that are looking at him saying,
"boy, he beats
their system very nicely. "
Webber: Whether he's in the
league this year or not...
Meyers:
He'll have some options.
Oh, he will
have some options.
Jeremy:
I'm just trying to play,
And if someone's interested,
you know,
I'd love to talk
about an opportunity.
Joe Lacob: My son and he
both were point guards,
And they were
on different AAU teams,
And so I remember
watching them play
These AAU games
in these local gyms.
But I just happened to buy the
team at that time with my partners.
One of the first things
I told our GM was,
"look, I know this kid.
My son knows this kid.
He's really talented.
We ought to give him a shot. "
I think they thought
we were a little crazy,
But we did, and, you know,
when you're the owner,
You get to do things
like that.
[ rock music ]
Announcer: The warriors' IQ
and basketball IQ
Just went up a few points.
They signed Harvard guard
Jeremy lin.
I called Jeremy
to tell him.
He didn't believe me.
He was like, "stop playing,
man. Are you serious?"
I said,
"man, it's for real.
"go down to the practice
facility tomorrow
And sign the contract.
It's good. "
And he was like,
"man! I'll call you back. "
I was like, "aah!"
you know.
I picked
my little brother up,
I'm like, "I'm signing
with golden state!"
And I ran
into the next room,
I picked
my other brother up.
"I'm signing
with golden state!"
I can't even
really describe it,
'cause we, like, grew up,
like, fantasizing about the NBA,
And, like, the fact that we
grew up rooting for the warriors
Made it even
that much crazier.
Lin has a chance
to make history
As the first asian-american
NBA player in the modern era.
When he got picked up
by warriors,
That moment,
we think,
"this is what
I want him to do. "
My dream was to play
in the NBA,
And now I get to do it
for the warriors,
The team
that I grew up watching.
It's more
than a dream come true.
[ cheering ]
Announcer:
We know what that's about.
Color analyst: Jeremy lin.
Palo alto high school's own.
Warrior rookie
out of Harvard.
It got pretty loud,
And people were standing up
and clapping,
And I just remember
looking around.
Announcer:
Grew up a warrior fan,
Signed
by his hometown team.
It's a great story.
Color analyst:
It really is.
It was so emotional for me
to finally get there,
For me to finally be there,
And I couldn't envision myself
there even a year ago.
When I saw him guarding
Kobe, I was like, "wow. "
We've been watching this guy
ever since we were little.
He's actually...
He's there.
Announcer: Missing,
lee with the rebound.
Color analyst: I love what
Lin did. Didn't foul him.
Ohh!
Ready to return for
the grizzlies. Williams.
Lin's got an open look,
And then threw it
to battier inexplicably.
Announcer 2:
Welcome to the NBA.
Jeremy: I hate when everyone's
looking at me.
I hate the spotlight.
How am I gonna be myself
When every time
I touch the ball,
Everyone's expecting me
to do
Some crazy, miraculous play?
Announcer: He scores!
People could see it
on my face.
Like, I was
out there playing,
But I wasn't playing
my brand of basketball.
I was scared, nervous,
And just, like,
a lot of questions
And a lot of stress
And a lot of uncertainty
floating around.
Larry riley:
The ingredient that's missing
Is the fact there was
a player named Monta Ellis
And Steph curry
ahead of him.
[ laughs ]
You know, coaches need to win,
at the NBA level,
And so Keith smart,
who was our coach at the time,
Really didn't
play him a lot,
And this is
how these things happen.
Jeremy:
At first, I was like,
"he knows I can play,
he knows I can play. "
And then
I wasn't playing at all,
And then I was, like,
reading all these articles like,
"oh, he's just here
to sell jerseys
And increase revenue. "
I was like,
"maybe that's all it is.
Maybe that's all I'm good for,"
you know.
Yu: I think we have
to be honest with ourselves.
There was definitely
a marketing element to it.
I mean,
he's a hometown guy.
The area has a significant
asian-american population.
And the way it played out,
You know, people
went bonkers for that.
[ cheering ]
A lot of what America perceives
as asian is very foreign.
Yao Ming was kind of a
quintessential example of that.
He's from china,
he's from the east,
And he's coming
to our shores.
Whereas,
Jeremy is like homegrown.
He's a homegrown asian-american
kid from the suburbs.
He grew up with hoop dreams
just like the rest of us.
Seeing a kid like Jeremy
on the court
In a warriors uniform,
You know,
that's a huge impact.
You know, he was happy to be
playing for his hometown team,
But we weren't satisfied
with just being in the NBA.
Announcer: Fans want Jeremy Lin
to go all the way to the rim,
And he has it taken away.
The warriors' management
Sent Jeremy
down to the d-league,
The NBA's version
of a minor league farm system.
He was faced
with a harsh reality.
The d-league is one
of the toughest things
When it comes
to a basketball career.
The d-league,
you know, it's a showcase.
People don't care
how many wins you have.
All they care about
is your stats.
It's all about you,
and you have teammates,
But they're not really
on your team.
You know, they'll take
your job if they can.
You cut off?
You the point guard?
Yeah.
You pass it to me...
Okay.
And then just
wait out there.
What I told him when he went
to the d-league was simple.
Go kill it.
Go and crush the d-league,
and let's get called up.
Because it's a battle,
you know.
It's a battle right here.
Jeremy: I was like,
"man, like, if I play bad,
This may be it. "
Announcer: Jeremy Lin drives
against squeaky,
Tries to get to the rack,
throws it away!
Jeremy: I couldn't really
sleep, 'cause I was so stressed.
I called my brother.
I was like, "I'm
trippin' right now,
Like, I don't know
what's going on. "
I think, for him,
it was just like the journey
Was kind of wearing
on him.
'cause, like,
at every step of the way,
You have to, like,
overcome all these odds,
And, like, I think
at a certain point,
It felt insurmountable
for him.
So he was
not in a good place.
Color analyst:
Lin needs to settle down.
Announcer: Yeah,
he's running out of gas.
Jeremy desperately
wanted to prove
That he belonged,
but in his rookie year,
He was sent to the d-league
three times.
Chen: I think getting
sent back and forth
And the constant
yo-yo effect
Of being taken up
by the warriors,
Sent back down,
The cumulative effect of it
weighed heavily on him.
You know, I've always
had that desire,
And I've always
had that within me
Where I want to prove
that I could play in the NBA.
But, you know, I'm here
right now for a reason,
And, you know, god works
in very different ways.
Stay up! Stay up!
Come here!
Eric Musselman: You know,
I thought with each game,
His confidence grew,
and you could see it
Almost with each possession
up the floor.
And after
his 20-game stint,
I think he came out
of that d-league experience
Really believing that he could
have an impact in the NBA.
It was tough, because
we knew he could play.
It was just frustrating
because so many people
Were so ready to just bury
him and give up on him.
Jeremy:
It's hard for me,
Because I really
love basketball.
Like, I love my dream.
My dream is to play
in the NBA,
And I wanted it so bad
that I couldn't imagine
Finally getting it,
and then losing it right away.
Does anyone in here think LeBron
is not as good as Kobe right now?
Man: I think LeBron is
definitely not better,
Just bigger.
Well, it's kind
of hard to say.
You'd know better
than us, so...
No, I don't know.
I just had
closer seats.
[ laughter ]
Older kids?
Hey, you guys
are in here. In here.
Coach: Nice, perfect.
And then left, left,
or a right, right. Perfect.
Jeremy:
Yeah, I like that.
This is a good group
right here!
Hey! Don't move, don't move,
don't move, don't move!
Stay out there.
All these asian kids
are, like, intimidated by me.
I like talk to them,
they're like, "uh... "
I'm like, "dude,
I'm not, like, Frankenstein. "
If they're really tall,
you're gonna get stuck,
And then you'll get called
for a travel.
Man: Right here.
Ricky has
something to say.
Boy: Thank you.
No problem.
Thanks for coming.
I remember in the d-league,
I kept a little diary.
I know that's a little girlie
to some of you guys,
But I like to write down
some of my thoughts
Every once in a while
So I can look back
and remember.
And I remember
on December 29th,
I wrote about
how I actually wish
I had never signed
with the warriors.
I wish I could quit basketball,
because I wasn't having fun.
And what got me
through those times...
Obviously,
I don't feel that way now.
But what got me
through that time
Was the number one reason
Why all the leaders
are here today.
And that's because we want
to let you guys know
That god loves me and that he
has a perfect plan for me,
And that his plan
will take you
Through
a lot of ups and downs,
But if I stay faithful
to him,
In the end,
I know that he's gonna work
Everything for my good.
Now when I play basketball,
I don't play
for anybody else anymore.
I only play for god.
And that's the type of purpose
that he gave me,
And once he gave me
that purpose,
Then that's
when I had my peace.
And once I got my peace,
that's when I got my joy.
Sometimes
a change of scenery
Can shift
a perspective on life.
Jeremy: My roots is important
for me to know,
Because it's who I am.
It's a huge part
of my identity.
I understand
where my parents came from,
How they grew up
in the culture.
Oh! Oh!
You dropped it!
You dropped it!
Jeremy: So that's
why I come back every summer
Just to get a good feel
for that.
I'm very proud to be,
you know, who I am.
Back on the farm.
Oh, I'm gonna back up
a little bit now.
[ speaking chinese dialect ]
[ rooster crows ]
Seeing
where my dad grew up,
So 40 years makes
a huge difference,
You know, from him
growing up here
To how we grew up
in the U.S.
It's definitely
humble beginnings.
[ translator speaking
chinese dialect ]
[ repeating after translator
in chinese dialect ]
Man: Hey, man,
you see this shrimp?
Oh, hey, hey.
Watch yourself.
Jeremy: My grandparents are
born and raised in china.
My parents are born
and raised in Taiwan,
And I was born
and raised in the U.S.,
And so there's a lot
of history
And a lot of culture
behind who I am.
[ man speaking
chinese dialect ]
[ singing with karaoke machine ]
splendid
tell me, princess
now when did you last
let your heart decide?
[ laughter ]
I can open your eyes
take you
wonder by wonder
over, sideways,
and under
on a magic carpet ride
a whole new world
[ new song playing,
singing indistinctly ]
Man: What are you
about to do right now?
I'm about to go out here
And judge
this dunk contest.
This is the finale,
the championship game,
For the Nike
summer league,
So I'm about to get
into this right now.
[ man making announcement
in chinese dialect ]
They said
I could speak chinese.
Tricked 'em!
[ rock music ]
Announcer: Jeremy Lin!
[ cheering ]
Jeremy: Basketball culture
here is crazy.
The fans,
they love basketball.
There's people playing
basketball
All the time
on all the courts.
The level of competition
is definitely growing.
Got a chance
to see some games.
So, you know, it's definitely
awesome coming back
And seeing how much the sport
has grown in the country.
Ready, set, go!
Jeremy:
I just think coming here,
I'm seeing a lot of really
diligent, hard workers.
I feel like everybody
works very hard,
And they do everything
they can
To support themselves
and their families,
And for me,
that way is basketball.
And I think hard work
is definitely ingrained
In Taiwanese culture,
in chinese culture.
And so, for me,
that's something
I try to pick up on
and really embrace.
Yo, man,
we gotta go.
Jeremy?
Reporter:
At 12:01 Friday morning,
The NBA locked out
its players
After failing to reach a new
collective bargaining agreement.
The lockout has a very large
impact on a lot of people.
The current offer
that is on the table
Is not one
that we can accept.
It could be
a couple weeks,
Could be
a couple months.
Reporter:
We're already hearing
This is gonna be
a very long lockout.
We're about to go into
the nuclear winter of the NBA.
The collective bargaining
process
Has completely broken down.
Derek fisher: We're
all in this together.
And if these players
don't give them
What they want, they're
not going to play.
David stern:
I don't think it's resolved.
I think it's bad advice.
Jeremy:
I actually secretly
Wanted the lockout
to continue,
Because it gave me
extra time to get better.
Fisher: We are willing
to continue discussions
On a potential compromise.
Commentator:
There are some owners
Who are willing
to forego the season.
Fisher:
We want to play basketball.
That's what we do,
And right now,
we don't have an opportunity
To go out and do
what we do best.
Man: If we need to
lose an entire season,
We should go ahead
and do it.
I got all my sweaty t-shirts
in here, man.
Man:
That's disgusting.
Jeremy: So I knew
the longer the lockout went,
The better player
I would become.
Doc Scheppler:
We're warming up.
We're just warming up.
Boom. That's it.
That one was perfect.
Feel good?
Feels good.
Scheppler: As he gets better
as a shooter,
Over time it's gonna be like
money, money, money.
He's only gonna get better,
And he's awfully good now,
don't you think?
That's the other part,
getting into this cranium
To get him to believe
like I believe in him.
Sports anchor: Merry
Christmas, basketball fans.
The NBA is coming back.
Fans are getting
what they want.
Owners and players reached
a tentative agreement
To end
the 149-day lockout.
Jeremy:
Going into my second year,
I'm not really, like,
Thinking about
anything I'm afraid of.
You know, I feel like
through my first year,
At least in my own eyes,
Like, I proved to myself
that I can play at this level.
And I think mentally,
I'm at a much better place
Where I'm just going in,
and I'm just gonna be myself
And play my own game,
And from that standpoint,
I'm really not afraid
Of anything going
into training camp.
I feel like I have
nothing to lose.
Riley: We didn't have a center
that we felt good about,
And we needed to create
enough salary cap space
To go make an offer,
And in order to do so,
we had to cut somebody.
It was one
of the hardest decisions
That we could
have had to make.
Jeremy: They called me up
midway through
In the middle of a drill.
They're like, "hey,
you got to go upstairs. "
I went in there,
and the general manager
And assistant general manager
were like,
"we gotta let you go.
We're trying
to get Deandre Jordan. "
Montgomery: He had worked
tremendously hard pre-season,
So I was like,
"man, this is a blow.
I mean, this is a kick
in the stomach right here. "
Jeremy: They were like,
"oh, we wish you
the best of luck. "
I was like, "thanks. "
Within 48 hours,
He was picked up
by the Houston rockets.
Daryl Morey:
Yeah, we were hoping
That no one else
picked him up.
We were interested in him
for quite a long time.
Had been to his games
at Harvard.
At the time,
we just added him and said,
"hey, let's bring him in
and see what happens. "
Jeremy:
I went to Houston.
There were
six point guards there.
I couldn't even
get reps in practice.
I don't understand.
I was backup point guard
at golden state,
And now they're gonna
bring me here,
And I'm sixth string?
Announcer:
Jeremy Lin on the drive.
Take it to the rim,
lays it up.
Color analyst: Good shot with
the spurs' bigs right in his face.
Chen: When the rockets
picked him up,
That was probably the bottom
of the barrel for him.
Sunday night,
we were in fellowship,
And I remember Jeremy said,
"hey, I gotta go.
I gotta catch
my flight to Houston. "
He was standing
at the door,
And he had tears in his eyes,
because, um...
Because the pressure
was really getting to him.
He just didn't know what
his future was gonna hold.
And I remember
he turned to me and he says,
"I don't know
if I can keep doing this. "
After only 12 days
with the rockets,
He was cut again.
It was Christmas day.
Interviewer: So obviously
a lot has been happening
The last couple
of weeks.
What's going
through your mind,
And how
you feeling today?
Jeremy: Christmas morning,
I was waived.
Flew back home
on Christmas night,
And within two weeks,
I had been waived twice
By two teams who said
they still wanted me.
10 a. m. This morning,
Um, found out the Knicks
had picked me up.
And that's gonna be
my first game with the Knicks.
It's gonna be
at oracle arena.
You know, I'm literally going
into this game tomorrow night,
I have no idea
who my teammates are.
I've never played
with them one time.
I have no idea
what plays we run.
I don't know
a single play,
And, you know, I haven't
even talked to the coach yet,
So it's gonna be
interesting.
Announcer:
I see Jeremy Lin coming in.
They just
signed him today.
[ crowd cheering ]
Went through a walk-through,
at shoot-around today.
Lin, who played with golden
state last year sparingly,
Played in the d-league,
Gets a nice ovation.
Jeremy: It's
a great opportunity for me
To be able to just play,
And I think,
for me right now,
The one thing
I really care about
Is just an opportunity
to play.
I'm gonna
give my best effort,
And, you know, if I go down,
I'm gonna make sure
I go down doing it my way,
Which is god's way.
So it's the night before,
And, you know,
I gotta get my bags ready,
And after the game tomorrow,
we head to L.A.,
Sacramento, and then
I'm off to new York for good.
Five games go by,
and I'm not playing at all.
Nothing was
really making sense to me.
If you bring me in,
And you don't let me
play in practice,
Let alone the games,
then why am I here?
I felt like, you know,
I could help you,
And I was watching us lose.
Reporter: The Knicks have
lost four straight games.
Announcer: And
the losing streak continues.
Knicks have now lost
six in a row.
Commentator: There's a chemistry
problem there on the floor.
They need a point guard
to distribute the ball.
Jeremy's original
two-year contract
Was about to expire,
Which meant that,
if the Knicks let him go,
He'd be dropped with no pay,
and, this time, for good.
During practice, Jeremy
was standing right beside me
On the side
of the court
And not really get in
even in practice.
He was just there in case
one of these guys got hurt.
I pretty much saw
the writing on the wall.
I was like,
"I'm pretty much done,"
And, like, I was resigned
to the fact
That I was
gonna get let go.
Standing on the side of the
court, he comes up to me,
And he goes, "hey, coach,
I've got a question. "
I go, "what is it,
Jeremy?"
"I'm taking
a taxi everywhere.
Should I ship
my car out here?"
And he was like,
"uh, you know, probably not. "
I was like, "oh, hell,
I'm gonna get waived. "
D'antoni: And so I went
and talked to glen.
I said, "glen,
what do you think?"
And he goes, "well, we
haven't really seen him.
We don't know. "
And I said, "you know
what? Let me try to see
"if we can get him
in a couple games
Before Tuesday and just
see what happens. "
They're like, "look,
you're gonna play tonight.
"I want you to go out there.
I don't want you
to do too much. "
I was like,
"okay, I won't. "
Announcer:
8 points for Garnett.
Lin coughs it up,
Bradley to the rim.
Jeremy:
I didn't do too much.
I pretty much did nothing,
and I played horrible.
You know, I missed shots,
I had turnovers,
I had bad fouls.
[ whistle blows ]
Announcer:
Lin reached in.
Jeremy:
I thought, at most,
I had one more chance
the next game.
I was like, "okay, I just
screwed the Boston game.
"I probably will get cut,
But they may give me
one more chance tomorrow. "
Landry fields:
I think at the time,
Jeremy was actually staying
with his brother in new York,
And he was talking
to me on the plane.
He's like,
"you know, my brother,
"he's got some people over,
"um, so, you know,
is it cool
If I crash
at your place instead?"
You know, I was like,
"yeah, sure, man, you can come. "
I was giving him
forewarning, though,
That my couch wasn't huge.
It was actually
a rental couch at the time.
It might have been
maybe six feet long.
We get in at, like,
2:00 in the morning.
I go over to Landrys place.
He's like,
"this is my couch,"
And his couch
is like this big.
I'm like, "dude. "
I have my head
hanging off of one end
And my legs
hanging off the other.
I'm like, "oh, my gosh, how am I
gonna get a good night's rest?"
Like, "I might play tomorrow.
This might be
my last chance. "
Montgomery: I remember
thinking to myself,
One, I hope he gets in,
Because he really didn't do
enough in the Boston game
To warrant
getting big minutes.
And, two, if he gets in,
he's gotta play well,
Or they're gonna release him
after the game.
Jeremy: It's funny.
This season was
the only season
In the last,
like, 11, 12 years
Since the last lockout
Where people have played
back-to-back-to-back games.
And new York only
had one stretch
Of back-to-back-to-back
games.
And if we had
more days to rest,
I'm not sure if I would have
been able to play in that game.
Shirley:
I prayed that day,
And my prayer is,
"god, if this is your will
for him to play NBA,
You need to show it. "
[ crowd cheering ]
Announcer: There's morrow.
Morrow knocks it down.
Williams sets himself,
Puts up the 3,
and knocks that one down.
The Knicks find themselves
down by 10 already.
P.A. Announcer: New York foul
is on Shumpert, his second.
Color analyst: Again, mike,
look who's coming in.
Announcer: Jeremy Lin, and
you hear a pretty big ovation.
[ sound fades,
heartbeat-like drum playing ]
Montgomery:
He didn't look tentative,
He didn't look
overly concerned.
He looked like,
"dude, I'm about to go do it.
"if they cut me,
they cut me.
"if I don't never play
another NBA game, so be it.
I'm going to play
like Jeremy Lin can play. "
Announcer: Jeremy Lin
drives and finishes.
Nice play from lin.
There's a strip
of it.
Lin throws it ahead
to Toney Douglas.
Up for the layup!
Banks it in!
Here comes Shumpert
to lin.
Lin flips it up
and puts it in.
Jeremy Lin once again!
Joshua: He finished the half
with like 10, 4, and 4,
Like, good numbers
for a half.
That was such a higher high
Than, like,
anything he's, like, done.
So I was, like, ecstatic
at that point.
The second half,
he just went...
He just went nuts.
Announcer: Driving to
the basket, does it again.
He's got a chance for a
3-point play as he got hit.
Bumped by petro,
gets to the rim.
Count it
and a foul!
P.A. Announcer:
Jeremy Lin!
Announcer: He has
in one special night
Become
a garden favorite.
Color analyst:
Will it be remembered?
He was stringing together,
Like, three crossover moves
in a row.
Like, things
he's never done before.
Announcer:
Splits the defense again!
Gets to the rim!
Pops it in!
And a foul! Wow!
[ wild cheering ]
Color analyst: And
the crowd on their feet
Paying homage
to this man.
Clyde, even it looks
like his teammates
Don't believe
what they're seeing.
Jeremy:
I was just so emotional.
There's no way
they can cut me now.
I just had
the game of my life.
Announcer: Again,
the crossover, the basket.
Puts it up,
pops it in!
Jeremy Lin with 25!
And this crowd
is going crazy!
Color analyst:
Penetrating, manipulating,
Devastating the nets!
Announcer: He's the hero
from Harvard,
As the Knicks
[ buzzer sounds ]
Get a much-needed victory
on the game of his life.
And he is swarmed
by his ecstatic teammates
And a jubilant crowd here
at Madison square garden.
Jeremy: [ on P.A. ]
I'm just thankful to god
For this opportunity
to be able to come out here
And play with this team
and this organization.
[ crowd cheering ]
Jeremy:
Man, I was taking a shower,
And I was like...
I didn't even know.
I was like, "is this water,
like, from the shower,
Or am I actually crying,
like, tears of joy?"
Oh, I was just, like,
so high on emotion.
I was so happy.
I was sitting in the shower,
Replaying all the times
in the d-league,
All these flashbacks
of these tough times
I had to go through.
And I remember
I got out,
I saw my family,
and they were all smiling.
I called my agent,
And he was yelling at me
on the phone, you know, like,
"I'm so proud of you.
I knew you could do it. "
That was kind of like
the much-needed breakthrough
That I was hoping for.
Commentator: [ on radio ]
before Jeremy Lin's
First big game
against new jersey,
He really wasn't in the Knicks'
plans at that point,
And I'm told
they had begun
To look seriously
at replacements.
Announcer: Clyde, Saturday
night, Madison square garden
Sounded as loud
as we've heard it all season.
He was magnificent.
You just hope
from a Knicks standpoint
That he can
run the offense
As well as he ran it
on Saturday.
Jeremy: I just really wasn't
nervous for my first start.
And, you know,
usually, I would be,
But I don't know why I just felt
really comfortable,
And it was just
a supernatural peace,
And it's one
of those things that,
You know,
I can't really explain.
For Jeremys first NBA start,
Amar'e Stoudemire
was out for personal reasons,
And Carmelo Anthony suffered
an injury in the first half.
Announcer: Carmelo Anthony
comes up hobbling.
He's in a lot
of discomfort.
He can't move right now.
The Knicks
desperately needed a leader,
And Jeremy
would answer the call.
Announcer:
Lin gets around Jefferson,
Looking,
and backs it in.
He had a couple of those
the other night.
Jeremy:
We were running pick and roll
After pick and roll
after pick and roll.
Announcer:
Lin inside to Jeffries!
Joshua: I didn't know
how he would follow up
That new jersey game,
'cause it was such a high,
But he just kept making
ridiculous layups,
He was hitting jumpers.
Jeremy: They didn't know my tendencies,
They didn't know
my weak spots,
My strong spots,
my sweet spots.
Announcer:
Lin on the drive,
Flips it up,
drops it in!
And a foul!
Reverse layup!
Jeremy: They had never
seen me play.
Announcer: Pushing it,
ahead to Shumpert, back to lin.
Lin gets hit,
puts it in, and a foul!
Lays it up,
puts it up,
Chandler
keeps it alive.
[ buzzer ]
Lin has to put it up.
A 3-pointer
as the shot clock expired!
I'm riding him
like friggin' secretariat.
[ laughter ]
Announcer: Jeremy Lin
With his second
consecutive career night.
He is the new starting
point guard of the Knicks.
[ buzzer ]
And the Knicks win again.
A standing ovation
for Jeremy lin.
Jeremy: You know, there's
so many little variables
With every step of the way
being something I can't control.
You know, Houston
waives me a day late.
If they waive me
a day earlier,
I would have been
past the waiver wire.
Shumpert gets
hurt that morning.
The Knicks pick me up,
Because they had worked me out
the year before.
You know, it happens to be
D'antoni who's coaching here
Whose offense
is tailor-made for me.
And all of a sudden,
things just go crazy.
He's averaging 261/2 points
a game the last two games.
I don't think
that's gonna continue.
Commentator: Obviously,
that's not gonna continue.
Then we hit the road
and go to Washington,
And it's like
john wall again, you know.
Like, I played against john wall
in the summer league,
And now
it's, like, a rematch.
Now I'm playing
against him again.
Announcer: Ooh!
[ whistle blows ]
Announcer: Lin on the
drive, gets inside.
Reverse layup.
Great play by Jeremy lin.
Here comes wall.
Look at wall.
Breaks the press,
And throws it down
with the left hand!
Jeremy: I was like, "dang,
he kinda dunked on my head. "
I was like, "I'm gonna try
to get him back. "
Couple possessions later,
they messed up their coverage,
I had a free lane,
And I just tried
to take the rim down.
Announcer:
Lin drives!
There's the dunk
you're talking about, Clyde.
Jeremy Lin
fires up the crowd.
Jeremy:
When I saw that opening,
I just tried to dunk it
as hard as I could.
I don't know.
There's just...
There's been so much pain
and so many trying times,
And now
that I get to play,
I'm just letting it
all out, man.
I'm just letting
it all out on the floor.
After the game,
I just look back,
And I'm like,
"man, that was so fun. "
Commentator:
The great story
That's brewing is
Jeremy Lin,
And this week,
contracts are guaranteed
For the rest
of the year.
He's been balling out,
saying,
"show that man
his money. "
D'antoni: The things that's
for real is his vision,
Which won't change,
His speed, which won't change,
His knowledge of the game,
which won't change.
I just don't see it changing.
Now, again, please
don't quote me on that one.
Kenny smith: Now he's
on the scouting report.
Shaquille ONeal:
Yeah, he is now.
Let's see if he's in the
scouting report for the Lakers
Oh, yeah, he is.
On Friday night at the garden.
Jeremy: This is basically where
I lived the last two weeks
And so it's the couch
I slept on.
Uh, my brother
and sister-in-law,
Uh, did a good job
of hosting me.
Had a lot of fun.
[ laughing ]
And now their little kid
might have to move out.
[ laughing ]
If I don't do laundry now,
I won't do laundry
when I'm married. Fact.
Sister-in-law:
You guys are brats.
So? We do other things.
[ Shirley speaking
indistinctly ]
Sister-in-law:
Like what?
Like...
What do you mean,
like what?
Like, what don't we do,
is the question.
Sister-in-law:
What do you do?
Shirley:
What do you do?
I take a nap every day.
Shirley:
Yeah, that I know.
Who does that?
Not many people can.
Not many people can.
And you eat a lot,
Nonstop all day long.
Yeah.
Yesterday, the general manager
was like,
"hey, Jeremy, by the way,
you're guaranteed now,
So get off the couch. "
I was like...
Shirley: This guy has
a place to stay,
But he doesn't
want to stay there.
He want to crash
in here.
They don't want this to
be on the news, Jeremy,
[ laughing ] sleeping on
the couch at his brother's.
Why?
Jeremy: It's crazy.
It's just crazy to...
I'm telling you,
social media,
Twitter, Facebook,
my phone, it's just...
I don't know if it could get
crazier than this.
Like, I really don't.
Reporter:
Jeremy Lin?
Are you following
that story at all?
No idea.
I know who he is,
But I don't really know what's
going on too much with that.
Reporter 2: Are you
surprised at the production
That Lins had
over the past week?
I don't even know
what he's done.
Like, I have no idea
what you guys are talking about.
[ cheering ]
Jeremy: I'm reading
all these quotes
About what he's saying.
"Kobe Bryant has no idea
who Jeremy Lin is. "
I'm like, "what?"
I'm like,
"why would you do that?
"I didn't say
anything about you.
I never talked bad
about you. "
So when I heard that,
I was like...
[ exhales ]
"here we go. "
Reporter: Would you
consider guarding him
If he's having
one of those games?
[ chuckles ]
Let's not get
ahead of ourselves here.
Let's go!
Reporter: There is
a new man in town.
"may the best man lin. "
Host: Over-under, 23 points
for Lin tonight, Bomani.
Against the Lakers with those
trees they've got inside?
It won't be
so Linsane tonight.
Host: Kobe or Lin?
Who scores more tonight?
I'm going with my guy,
Jeremy Lin, my hero.
[ host laughing ]
Because all he does
is Lin, baby!
Announcer:
Jeremy Lin in just one week
Has turned things around
For his career
and for the new York Knicks.
I love it!
It's awesome, man!
This is like the greatest thing
that's happened to new York ever.
Commentator:
It's one of those nights,
And it's
one of those stories
Where it really is
why we love sports.
I didn't know how
it was gonna turn out,
But I was like,
"I'm just gonna be really,
really aggressive. "
Everything was going well,
everything was going down.
Announcer: Lin puts it up,
puts it in!
Terrific start!
And listen
to this garden crowd.
I think the one thing where I
kind of lost it a little bit,
He'd come down,
He kind of
like stutter-stepped,
And spun
and finger-rolled it.
Announcer:
Lin likes the open floor.
Spinning,
puts it up and puts it in!
Sensational play
for Jeremy Lin!
The garden erupted, and to
do it on the national stage,
Anybody who saw that
moment will never forget.
Announcer: Electrifying
the garden again!
He's got 18 points.
Welcome to our studios for the
Jeremy Lin Toyota halftime show.
Announcer:
Jeremy Lin was superb,
7 of 12 from the field,
18 points, 5 assists.
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers
struggling shooting the ball,
But they're
only down by 8.
Bryant, a couple of fakes,
Gonna put it up,
and knocks it down.
Stripped by Lin,
stolen by lin.
Left side, Shumpert,
left-handed layup!
Bryant spinning,
difficult shot.
Color analyst:
For some, yeah.
Kobe Bryant again.
He is starting to get in
one of those zones right now.
Gasol is on lin.
Puts up the 2-pointer.
Puts it in!
Jeremy Lin with 31!
And the rebound
by Jeffries.
Lin for 3.
Bang!
P.A. Announcer:
3- pointer!
Jeremy Lin!
And my favorite play
of this whole year
Was when I hit
that 3 in the corner
Just because that game
had so much hype,
And that shot
was kind of the dagger
That put the game
out of reach for them.
Reporter:
Already cut twice this season,
Sleeping on
a teammate's couch,
Because he had
nowhere else to go,
And, suddenly, Jeremy Lin
is the toast of Manhattan.
This is it right here.
This is my dream,
and, uh,
I'm just thankful
to god, man,
Because this is my dream
being lived out,
And I'm so thankful
for that.
Announcer:
Jeremy Lin, 38 points.
It's the most
by a knick this season.
Linsanity continues here
in Madison square garden.
It's indescribable,
really.
It's something
I've never seen before.
I didn't foresee
this coming.
You know,
it's unbelievable.
This is,
like, how weird I am.
I was like, "I'm gonna go
off this game,"
And at the end of the interview,
they're gonna be like,
"oh, so do you think
Kobe knows who you are now?"
Reporter: Jeremy, you knew
somebody was gonna ask you this,
But do you think Kobe
knows who you are now?
Jeremy:
If they ask me that question,
I'm gonna be like,
"who the hell is Kobe?"
That's
what I was gonna say.
And then I,
like, thought about it,
And I prayed about it,
I was like, you know,
"what would Jesus do?"
And I'm like, "Jesus
probably wouldn't say that,"
So I was like,
"I'm gonna change my answer. "
Aw, well,
you guys have to ask Kobe.
I don't know.
Let's get to what matters
in sports today, Jeremy lin.
Man: Right now, the biggest
star in new York is Jeremy lin.
I don't even think
you have to be a sports fan
To hear about this story.
New York has a raging case
of Linsanity.
That's what it is right now.
It's madness right now.
Jeremy Lin!
[ upbeat music ]
All I do
is Lin, Lin, lin.
Reporter:
What do you think?
What do you think
about all this?
Um, it's crazy.
It's just crazy.
Whoopi Goldberg:
One of the biggest headlines
In sports right now is
Linsanity.
Reporter: If you haven't
caught it yet, you will.
Linsanity takes
new York by storm.
Dan Patrick: He was a last-ditch
effort for the Knicks.
They sort of said,
"all right, who wants to play?"
And he raised his hand and,
"all right, get in there. "
Stephen a. Smith: I have
never seen anything like this
In all my years
of covering sports.
I've never seen somebody
go from a no-name
To an absolute phenomenon
inside of two weeks.
It's unbelievable.
He's doing it with charisma,
with style, with flair,
And he's having fun.
It's crazy.
It's catching fire.
Linsanity,
I think it'll probably be
In the dictionary
in the next version.
Linsanity? I love it.
I love Linsanity.
I'm so happy for him.
Reporter:
Jeremy Lins 89 points,
The most by any player
In his first three pro starts
since the aba-NBA merger.
Announcer: Outside to Lin,
crosses over Ridnour,
And hits.
Jeremy Lin
up top to fields.
Lin a whirling dervish
right to the rim,
Zigzagging to the cup.
The Knicks have stolen one.
It's their fifth straight win,
their longest of the season.
You have been surpassed
as the most famous person
Who is
a Harvard graduate.
I knew about Jeremy
before you did.
Are you taking credit
for Linsanity?
It kind of feels
like you are a little bit.
I can't
take credit for it,
But I'm just saying
I was there early.
Reporter: As you said,
it's a great story.
What's the greatest part
in it for you?
That we've won five in a row.
[ laughs ]
That's it for me.
Uh, just everything,
Just here's just
what's right with sports.
He's an underdog
that came up.
He does it the right way.
Can he play in the NBA?
Yeah, of course.
He's got all the tools,
and he's playing really well.
That's not a fluke,
how he's playing.
I had
this one dude courtside
Who was just yelling
at me the whole game.
He's like,
"you're a one-week wonder. "
You know, "you're not gonna
win this game. You suck. "
We were playing bad.
We were tired,
and I was like,
"man, this is gonna be
a tough one to pull out. "
We were down 5
with a minute left.
You know, we got
this huge steal,
Layup, down 3.
They're coming down,
we get a stop.
Commentator: The and-1 at Amir Johnson,
Who I believe had 5
blocks to that point,
Ties the game.
Announcer:
Lin fakes the 3, drives,
Goes in for the layup,
It's good,
and a foul!
Lin can tie it
with a free throw.
They come down,
missed shot,
And now we got the ball
with, like, 20 seconds left.
Announcer:
Lin to Shumpert,
Shumpert,
pull-up jump shot.
Won't go,
chandler the rebound.
And the Knicks will hold it
for the final shot
As the 24-second clock
is shut off.
Mike Dantoni
won't call time out
And let the raptors
set up their d.
The crowd on its feet
here at the air Canada centre.
Lin puts it up.
Bang!
Jeremy Lin
from downtown,
And the Knicks
take the lead!
Amazing here
at the air Canada centre!
Announcer 2:
10 seconds, everyone standing,
20,000 in Toronto.
Color analyst:
Get out of his way!
Let him just take
Calderon himself!
Announcer 2: Three seconds,
Lin sizes him up,
Straightaway 3, buries it!
.5 remaining!
Linsanity continues!
I'm just glad
it went like this,
So we can calm the
Linsanity down a little bit.
[ laughter ]
Where we couldn't
get a stop...
Mwah!
Jeremy: That's all I dream about
is hitting the game winner,
And then doing
some cool little dorky pose
And then walking off.
You know, that's,
like, all I did growing up.
I always wanted to do that.
I wanted to know
what that felt like.
Michael Wilbon:
He's got the game,
He's got the attitude,
he's got the swag.
He's got all of that.
[ beep ]
Okay.
"thank you for being... "
Or do I just do
the first part?
Woman: Yeah.
Okay.
"hey, Jeremy... "
I mean... Whoops.
it's driving me
out of my mind
"just dial star-star-Knicks
On your iPhone
or android phone... "
Woman:
Or go to nyknicks.
can't get it
outta my head
head
that girl is poison
[ laughs ]
Oh, man.
Man: Perfect.
"to all my friends
in Indonesia... "
"to all
my fans in Singapore... "
"to all my fans
around the world,
Thank you
for all your support. "
[ Psy's gangnam style
playing ]
Reporter:
Linsanity is catching on
Even halfway around
the world in Taiwan,
Igniting a crowd in Taipei
that went to a bar
At 8:00 in the morning
to watch him on TV.
[ speaking Portuguese ]
[ woman speaking
Japanese ]
[ man speaking Spanish ]
[ gangnam style continues ]
hey, sexy lady
hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey
hey, sexy lady
op, op, op, op
hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey
oppa gangnam style
[ song ends ]
Commentator: He's handled
everything very well,
As you said, unflappable,
But if there is a chink
in the armor,
Where can Lin
improve his game?
[ rewinding ]
Chink in the armor...
[ plays in slow motion ]
a chink in the armor...
Nice build,
he's got long arms.
That's what you need
as a point guard.
And he's really,
I mean...
Anchorman:
What about his eyes?
Dreamy.
He has
great court vision.
Take away the Lin puns...
Mm-hmm.
This is what you
end up with.
"amasian. "
now is that even...
[ laughter ]
Is that even legal?
Conan OBrien: Jeremy lin.
Yes, that's real.
Jeremy Lin coming out
of a fortune cookie.
Commentator: This whole
thing has shown how unprepared
We were to deal with this
culture in this context.
Host: Floyd Mayweather
on Jeremy Lin tweets...
"all the hype
is because he's asian.
"black players do
what he does every night
And don't get
the same praise. "
First of all, what he said
I think is racist.
Not only can he compete
and make it in the NBA,
The guy's tearing it up and is
breaking records, you knucklehead.
OBrien: Check it out.
"he does the math to win. "
[ laughter ]
yeah.
Commentator: For many years,
we've had many stereotypes
About asian-americans,
And now they're
all kind of coming out
Like they're no big deal.
They are a big deal.
Announcer:
And that'll do it.
The winning streak comes
to an end
In disappointing fashion,
As the new Orleans hornets
Hand Jeremy Lin
and the Knicks
Their first loss
in the Jeremy Lin era.
Jeremy: Now it's easier
for me, you know.
Someone will say
something racist,
And I'll laugh,
and I'll think it's funny.
Everything I get now,
like, all the negative stuff,
I'll just put it
in one place
And turn it
into positive stuff
So that I could use it
the right way,
And when I play out of anger,
I play horrible.
And so I had to learn
how to control my emotions
And then just,
like, let it go.
[ Yao Ming
speaking chinese dialect ]
[ video game sound effects ]
Joshua:
Don't break your hand.
[ laughing ]
Oh!
[ laughing ]
[ Yao Ming speaking
chinese dialect ]
Huh!
Huh!
[ laughing ]
Sweet.
So did you know that new
Knicks sensation, Jeremy Lin,
Has a brother
who's a freshman point guard
For Hamilton college?
We did, though even
we didn't know
That today's continental
home finale
Would bring out
the entire Lin clan,
Including the Linsational
Jeremy himself.
Joseph: I did not know
he was coming to my game,
And I actually heard from a
couple people on campus like,
"hey, your brother's
coming. "
I was like,
"no, he's not. "
I've never really
had that before,
Had that kind of hype
around one of my games.
But I didn't see it
as that big of a difference.
It was just my family
watching my game, so...
I mean, he did come down
before Linsanity happened.
He had come down to watch
my games before that,
And no one really cared.
Joshua: For the last,
like, two years,
He was never enjoying
himself out there.
But that new jersey game,
when things were rolling,
For the first time,
he was just, like, having fun,
Living his dream.
I think that was, like,
the best thing from Linsanity.
Host: The big question now
is, can Linsanity continue?
Commentator: I don't know
how long it's gonna last,
But right now,
I don't care.
Announcer:
Lin out of the corner for 3.
Count 'em all!
Commentator: Anyone who said
they saw this coming is lying!
Commentator: There's a
lot more that he can do
Than anybody knew, and it
comes down to confidence.
Announcer:
Jeremy on the drive.
And-1 for Jeremy Lin!
He got the bang
and the bucket.
Commentator:
He's got that swagger.
He has that "it"
right now.
This transcends sports.
It really does.
Commentator 2:
He has shined and evolved
Into the best story
in sports today.
Announcer:
Pressure in the backcourt.
Oh, and Lin the steal!
To the basket!
Lin, over dirk.
Ohh!
Color analyst:
How good is this?
Jeremy: I'm just out there
having fun
And playing a game.
I can have bad games,
and, you know,
They may not like me,
or they may boo me.
There's
a lot more important things
In life
than just basketball,
'cause at the end of the day,
basketball's just a game.
Announcer: The show
continues on Broadway.
It's a story
with many spokes.
An ivy leaguer,
asian-american athlete,
Guy off the end
of the bench.
Speaks for everyone who
didn't get their chance.
It's only a couple of weeks,
but in new York city,
And on basketball's
big stage,
This guy has hit it
out of the park.
What happened to me,
the story that happened to me,
I mean,
it wasn't like I knew
I could just come
off the bench and do that.
I really didn't.
Um, I thought I could play
at this level,
And I thought
I could be a good player,
But I didn't feel
like that would happen.
And some
of those experiences out there
When I was on the court,
I felt like I was being
controlled by something else.
I felt like I was having
an out-of-body experience.
Some of the plays
that I made,
Some of the wins
that we had,
Were just so
out of this world
That I still have
to pinch myself
To really believe it.
[ soundtrack piano music ]
As Jeremy ends one chapter
and begins another,
The road ahead will continue
to test his perseverance.
But his faith
will forever guide him.
Jeremy: The thing
I had to learn last year
Is a perfect plan
doesn't mean
That it ends up the way
you want it to end up.
In the past, if you asked me
what's a perfect plan,
I'd be like,
"I get what I want,
I get my dream, I play well. "
Now I have
a different perspective
On what a perfect plan is.
You don't get better
if you win all the time.
You know, you get better
when you lose.
You improve when you lose.
You look at yourself more
when you lose.
So if you learn a lot
or if I learn a lot,
If I grow a lot,
If I become a better person
through tough times,
That's part
of his perfect plan.
That's part of his perfect will.
When I was going
through all my insecurities
And uncertainty
and lack of confidence,
I was losing focus on god.
I was focusing
on all these other things,
Like my job and what
other people thought of me
And what the reporters
were writing.
You know, over time,
I was able to check myself
And kind of
get my focus back.
And I think god did
something supernatural in me,
Something that I couldn't
do on my own,
Something that I may
never be able to recreate.
So I think, in that instance,
I was just learning
to fight
To constantly
live and play for god.
And when I do that,
I'll be able to walk on water.
[ piano playing can you feel
the love tonight? ]
Jeremy:
It's all about lion king.
We have nala right here,
Baby simba,
timon and pumbaa.
[ soundtrack music ]