During this stretch he averaged all-star caliber numbers with 20 points and 8 assists per game, leading his team to an unforgettable win streak and some big games. In 2012 he was the only active Asian American playing in the NBA. He showcased his incredible talent in February of 2012 by helping the New York Knicks to a seven-game winning streak. When this happened, fans and media were shocked as to how this was happening. Even the stretch being called “Linsanity” can contribute to the stereotype. The phrase “linsanity” could be interpreted wrong because why is it “insanity” that a former bench player is succeeding in a starting role? Many players have stepped up and have had big games for their teams, but none of them have gotten their own term for their performance. The whole idea of “Linsanity” confirms traditional race-dualities because according to the media it is so abnormal for there to be an Asian basketball player in the NBA performing that …show more content…
After the Knicks beat the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was interviewed saying that they probably haven 't been playing attention and that players playing that well don 't usually come out of nowhere and his talent probably just went unnoticed, confirming stereotypes that Lin faced his whole life. The real question to be asked is how he went unnoticed all his life by college and NBA scouts. At 6’4 200 pounds Lin sure has the build for a basketball player, even though during the start of his run being described as“deceptively athletic” which further confirms the stereotype of Asian Americans as mediocre athletes.
Asian American men are often stereotyped in the sense of being more ‘nerdy’ than ‘athletic’ Lin was underestimated athletically most likely because of his race and called “deceptively athletic”. Jeremy Lin is disproving these stereotypes and Asian American people are being recognized more positively, as evidence by Jeremy Lin’s being in the 2012s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World. Stereotypes will always exist, however media and people watching TV will always have the chance to change the stereotypes and prove people wrong, just like Jeremy Lin