Linsanity 2.0 has landed in Los Angeles, reports KPCC.
This Linsanity will be very different from what hit New York three years ago, but among LA’s large Asian American population, excitement is already building.
“The Linsanity — bring it to L.A.,” said 21-year-old Huxley Phan. “Maybe it will all hype us up again.”
“There’s a huge fan base here,” said Jocelyn Wang, editor of 8Asians. “Literally people like me — not huge fans of the NBA, or even huge fans of basketball but fans of Jeremy Lin.”
It’s been a rough go for Lin in Houston. He went from being the poster child for the Rockets to a second thought in a matter of months. The Asian Athletes blog does a good job running down the timeline of Lin in Houston from his much hyped signing to his trade.
When the Rockets signed Lin, he became the face of the franchise and was put on billboard to promote the team and ticket sales. But a few months later, when the Rockets signed James Harden, all that began to change and the team began to be built around Harden.
It makes sense for the proud Lakers franchise that has fallen on hard times to bring in a player with so much appeal as Lin. The Lakers will always be Kobe’s team as long as he’s there, but Bryant a smart enough player to know that role players brought in are important to the team’s success. Expect Bryant and Lin to become a good combination in the back court.