New York’s Ethnic Press Advances the Story of Knicks Star Jeremy Lin

jeremy lin

Jeremy Lin is a star for New York’s Asian community. (Photo: DvYang/flickr)

With yet another win under their belts Wednesday night, the New York Knicks continue to reap the rewards of “Linsanity,” the unexpected showmanship and skills of point guard Jeremy Lin. It’s no surprise that New York’s ethnic press has been fascinated by the success of Lin, the N.B.A.’s first American-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent.

In particular, the Chinese immigrant community has been celebrating Lin’s stardom, and Madison Square Garden is encouraging these new fans by hosting viewing parties in Chinatown.

Voices of New York is collecting excerpts from the community and ethnic press’ coverage of the basketball star:

The Queens Chronicle, for instance, reported that several of Flushing’s Chinese residents have expressed their excitement over Lin’s rise in the NBA.

Lois Chin Lee works with children at PS 20 in Flushing and said that Lin has been a real inspiration to youngsters. “We have a basketball team made up of 10-year-old fifth graders and they are very excited about him,” Lee said. “Now everyone takes an interest in the PS 20 games, even grandmas are coming out.”

She added that Lin “has leveled the playing field” for Asian Americans, because it has been “hard for them to break into sports. Now kids feel they can make it.”

Perhaps the most important effect of Lin’s gradual ascension is his ability to unite people of different backgrounds. In a league dominated by African Americans, Lin’s underdog story has changed widely-held beliefs about Asian American athletes, according to the World Journal.

Tsin Chu, a sports fan, believes that Lin has made many Asian Americans proud. He and forty of his friends watched Lin play Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at a bar [several weeks ago]. Chu said that the Asian Americans and African Americans there all cheered for Lin. He was proud to see the unity.

For more, go to Voices of New York.

AboutSarah Kate Kramer
Sarah Kate Kramer first got hooked on collecting stories as a StoryCorps facilitator, then traveled the world with a microphone for a few years before settling down in her hometown of New York City. From 2010-2012 she was the editor of Feet in 2 Worlds and a freelance reporter for WNYC Radio, where she created “Niche Market,” a weekly segment that profiled specialty stores in New York. Sarah is now a producer at Radio Diaries, a non-profit that produces documentaries for NPR and other public radio outlets.