For a few unforgettable weeks in February 2012, the NBA belonged to Jeremy Lin . An undrafted guard out of Harvard, who bounced between the G League and the end of the bench, Lin erupted into superstardom overnight with the New York Knicks .
It started when he dropped 25 points off the bench against the New Jersey Nets , then followed up with 28 against the Utah Jazz , 38 against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers , and multiple game-winners that sent Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.
Linsanity transcended sports. It wasn't the typical bench player emerging as a star; it was an Asian-American player who shattered stereotypes and inspired millions around the world due to an 11-game stretch in which Lin averaged 23.9 points and 9.1 assists, while being, for a brief point, the savior of New York and the cultural star of the league.
While Lin was beloved by many, he was targeted by teams and players who sought to stop the craze before it escalated further. And eventually, Linsanity was eliminated by the most powerful team at the time, the Miami Heat .
Lin spoke on the "Above The Rim" podcast about the night Linsanity died and how he handled the fame and scrutiny that came with his legendary run of form.
As good as Lin was during Linsanity, he admits that he had a hard time dealing with the pressure and fame. After all, while the fans loved him, superstars such as Kobe Bryant and even his own teammate, Carmelo Anthony , expressed some envy at how the guard rose to the national spotlight. And Jeremy felt every single bit of it going into the game against the Heat.
"When the spotlight is on me, I get nervous. I start sweating...I shrink. It's overwhelming for me. Linsanity was that x100,000," Lin admitted .
"Going into that Heat game, I had so much hype that everybody had me circled on their calendar," he continued. "And for me, I'm just trynna make it to the cut deadline so I can have my minimum rookie salary guaranteed, like I'm just tryna make it. And everyone else is like, 'I'm tryna end him.'"
The buildup to the game was enormous. The Heat were still at the peak of their powers and fame, with their "Big 3" of LeBron James , Dwyane Wade , and Chris Bosh , while having capable defenders in the backcourt such as Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole .
The Heat were just coming off an NBA Finals appearance in the previous season and would eventually be on their way to their second ring that year. But at that moment, the narratives were still about Lin, and how he could topple the league's three-headed monster.
Come the game, however, it was evident that the Heat focused solely on killing Linsanity. Chalmers and Cole swarmed him from the tipoff, and by the final buzzer, all the hype had died after Jeremy finished with only eight points on 1 for 11 shooting, while also turning the ball over eight times as the Knicks lost 102-88.
It was a harsh return to reality for Lin, who quickly recognized that the ledge had finally made its adjustments. Still, instead of viewing the night as a failure, he sees it as a point of pride. For Jeremy, the fact that one of the most dominant teams in the modern era had explicitly game-planned to stop him was proof he had earned the league's respect.
"Credit to Chalmers, the big three, and the Miami Heat . That was kinda the night Linsanity ended," said Lin. "But to me, the fact that I could garner that attention and respect that they watched that much film on me and being like, 'Tonight, we're not gonna let him have anything.' That's a sign to me that, 'You really made waves.' "
Related: Larry Bird named his favorite modern NBA superstar: "He goes all out all the time"
As quickly and dramatically as Linsanity rose, it came back down just as fast, with the hype cooling off almost overnight. Not many fans remember that, even after the Heat game, Lin still played great, averaging nearly 15 points and 6.7 assists per game over his next 14 games. The end really definitely came after he tore his meniscus in late March.
Lin would carve out a solid career in the league after Linsanity, but his overall impact will echo beyond his retirement. What is important to Jeremy is not just how the fairytale run propelled his career to new heights, but also how it represented Asian Americans in one of the most competitive sports leagues in the world.
"I was never supposed to be here. I wasn't even supposed to be playing in college, let alone the NBA, let alone having LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and other people being like, 'Yo, we're going to send the whole fleet to go stop him," stated Lin.
"For me, of course like I get a lot of hate, and I get laughed at a lot, but from a different standpoint, it's like, 'Yo, that fact that I'm even in the arena competing with these guys is a huge statement of representation, that you're really coming to end me,'" he continued "Because before that we couldn't even get respect"
While the Heat game marked the end of Linsanity, it also cemented Lin's place in NBA history. For a moment, an overlooked guard shifted the league's attention and forced its best players to respond. And in doing so, Jeremy proved that he and others like him belonged.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
