Jeremy Lin says being Asian-American led colleges, NBA teams to snub him

Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin says his ethnicity is the reason he was not offered any college scholarships to major colleges and why he was passed over by NBA teams during the draft.

Lin tells Charlie Rose — in a "60 Minutes" interview that was excerpted Friday — that not a single Division I school contacted the California Player of the Year after he led his high school in Palo Alto to the California state championship.

"Well, the obvious thing in my mind is that I was Asian-American ... I think that was a barrier," he told Rose.

The young man who brought "Linsanity" to the NBA for a few fascinating weeks last season believes that if he were black or white he would have gotten a scholarship to schools like UCLA or "hometown" Stanford.  He ended up going to Harvard, where no athletic scholarships are granted.

Lin says ethnicity has no bearing on anyone's performance on the court but believes perceptions about race and athletic ability still exist.

"It's just a stereotype," he says.




The 6-foot-4 guard wasn't selected by any of the 32 NBA teams in the entry draft following a successful career at Harvard.

In the NBA, Lin mostly languished on the bench in Houston and New York until injuries last February gave him a chance to get major minutes against the Nets and kick off the Linsanity craze.

Lin left the Knicks and returned to the Rockets after they offered him a three-year deal worth $25.1 million.

Jeremy Lin tweets about heart-healthy fine

Jeremy Lin returns to New York City Friday night and — even though his Rockets will be playing the Nets in Brooklyn — the the former Madison Square Garden exile will make his appearance at Barclays Center in a foul mood — and with a healthier heart.

After receiving his first technical foul for arguing with a referee Wednesday, the former Knicks star  tweeted his anger about the $2000 fine and put it into terms most fans can relate to.

Got my first ever technical last night and lost $2000...makes me angry when i realize thats 2000 mcchickens or 4000 jack in the box tacos
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) February 21, 2013

It could also buy 400 of the marked down "Linsanity" jerseys on the clearance rack at Modell's.

Jeremy Lin will bring 'Linsanity' to Sundance Film Festival on Sunday

The Sundance Film Festival is about to come down with a case of Linsanity — and we're not talking the Lindsay Lohan kind.

Former New York Knick turned Houston Rocket Jeremy Lin couldn't attend the the premiere of the packed screening of "Linsanity," due to a scheduling conflict, but will now show up Sunday Jan. 27, the festival's final day.

Lin will appear in person and bring along a couple of his Rocket teammates to watch the sports documentary which tells the story of the Harvard grad's rise to NBA fame last season.

Lin, the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, led the bumbling Knicks to the playoffs and burst into national consciousness — kicking off the craze which became known as Linsanity.

The film focuses on the 23-year-old Lin's wild ride to international fame as the cameras rolled and is produced by his brother, Joseph Lin.

"I'm excited for Jeremy that he will be able to experience his Sundance premiere after all," said director Evan Jackson Leong.  "I'm thrilled I'll be able to watch the finished film with my film's subject."

Linsanity already had a sold-out screening that drew fans from as far away as Hawaii.  Sunday's screening will be in Salt Lake City.

Lin's story had all the elements of a Hollywood script.  Well here it is — in Indieland.

Jeremy Lin says going to Houston was 'God's plan'

Jeremy Lin is miles away from the Linsanity that swept New York last season and says he holds no hard feelings towards the Knicks for not matching his $25.1 million offer sheet last July.

In fact, Lin thinks his controversial exit from New York had come from a higher power than the Knicks owner James Dolan, indicating it was "God's plan" for him to go to Houston.

"The biggest thing is I enjoyed playing for the fans," the new Rockets' point guard said after Thursday's practice. "I had a lot of peace about it when it happened.  I know God has a perfect plan. And he's shown that in my life."

The struggling Lin (10.0 ppg, 6.3 assists) will be seeing some of his former Knicks teammates for the first time this season tonight at the Toyota Center since he became an overnight  cultural phenomenon that had both divided and propelled the team in 25 starts last spring.

Hurtful comments by Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith about Lin's contract and play, a season-ending knee injury and the success of the Knicks (8-2) this season have made Lin's departure and the frenzy of Linsanity a long forgotten footnote in New York.

"It didn't shake out the way everybody thought it would, but I'm still very at peace with how everything happened," added Lin.  "I'm in a great situation right now."

After his breakout year and fat new contract, Lin is still adjusting to a new system in Houston.

The Rockets (5-7) — who benched Lin Wednesday night after averaging only seven points in his last five games — hopes he can light a fire under the Rockets like he did with the Knicks last season despite the criticisms.

"I'm fine with whatever anybody says," said Lin. "It's all fair game."

Deron Williams says Knicks' Felton is upgrade from Lin

If anyone knows about Linsanity, it's Brooklyn Nets star Deron Williams.

After all, it was a game against the New York Knicks last Feb. 4 when Jeremy Lin finally broke out and started one of the craziest and most fun phenomenons in New York sports history.

Williams was the man Lin outplayed that night and the rest is sports history or — depending on who you talk to — sports overkill.

On Saturday, five days before the Nets point guard faces the Knicks again, Williams is giving props to the opposing guard who not named Lin anymore— Raymond Felton.

"I would say Raymond Felton is a better point guard than Jeremy Lin, in my opinion.  He's proven," Williams said before cutting last year's sensation some slack.  "Well. I can't go out and say that.  Jeremy Lin, he had a a heck of a run, he had All-Star-type numbers when he was starting.  But we'll see how he does this year.  But going off of [his] track record. I'm gonna go with Raymond Felton."

Williams wouldn't go all in and say the Knicks are a better team without Lin as the starting point guard, but would put his money on Felton rather than Lin if he had a choice.

"He looks good.  He looks in shape this year," Williams said of Felton.  The Knicks guard admitted being out of shape last season after the NBA lockout but still averaged 17 points and nine assists in 54 games with with New York last season.

"Ray probably had his best year that half season he was there," said Williams.  "I guess he likes the bright lights."

Williams and Felton have a history together that dates back to when they both came out of high school in 2002.

North Carolina recruited Felton over Williams and the Nets guard has never forgotten the slight.  He still uses it as motivation on the court.

Funny how bad memories are the ones that seem to Lin-ger.

Linsanity trademark belongs to Jeremy Lin

The catch phrase "Linsanity"— a word which captured the meteoric rise and city-wide euphoria of New York Knicks' sensation Jeremy Lin— has been awarded to the point guard by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

J-Lin captured New York's heart and playoff hopes with his Lin-credible rise from undrafted player to the face of a team and the NBA.

"It's not only Linsanity, but all Lin-related trademarks," said Pamela M. Deese, a partner in the law firm Arent LLP, who is working on the player's behalf.  "Having a clean plate with rights in place makes it a lot easier to negotiate licenses and endorsement deals."

The player's filing (fi-Lin-g) on Feb. 13 came six days after a California man with no ties to the 23-year old Harvard grad became the first to apply for the Linsanity trademark.  A second filing filing was made on Feb. 9 and on Feb. 14.  Somebody better have an exp-Lin-ation how the NBA player got the trademark before anyone else.

Lin, the first Chinese or Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA, drew widespread attention after coming off the bench on Feb. 4 to score 25 points in a win against the New Jersey Nets.  His Lin-fectious play sparked the Knicks to six consecutive wins— boosting TV ratings and ticket prices in his wake.

The wildly-popular player's Lin-credible run came to an end after Lin had surgery last month to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.  He missed the Knicks' opening-round playoff series with the Miami Heat, which New York lost 4-1.

Since he was Lin-capacitated, covered in Lin-iment and Lin-gering on a contract, is there still any Lin-terest in the Lin-corrigible player with the g-Lin-t in his eye?

Call your trademark lawyer to find out.

Jeremy Lin posts photo of himself in hospital after surgery as proof

The New York Knicks confirmed that Jeremy Lin had undergone successful surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee Monday afternoon.

Just in case you don't trust the Knicks organization— after they reportedly withheld the severity of Lin's injury for a couple of days— the point guard posted a photo of himself lying in the hospital bed after the procedure on his Facebook page as proof.

The post didn't say if he was in Lin-tensive care or not.

The photo shows the point guard lying in a bed at Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery covered with rumpled sheets and various medical tubes.

Lin also posted this message: "Praise God for a successful surgery!  Now on to the road to recovery!  Let's gooo.  Much love to all the fans for your support and kind words."

The team said he will be out for approximately six weeks after surgery and rehabilitation— or well into the playoffs.

Knicks held off announcing Lin's injury until NBA playoff ticket deadline

The New York Knicks were so worried about not being able to promote their injured cash cow Jeremy Lin for the playoffs, they waited two days — until after the deadline for season-ticket holders to buy tickets for the playoffs had passed— to reveal the severity of his knee injury, according to the New York Daily News.

Last Monday, the Knicks sent an email— with a picture of Lin jumping in celebration— to subscribers.  Yet,  it was two days before the deadline (Wed., March 28) when Lin and the medical staff had learned that the second-year point guard was suffering from a torn meniscus in his left knee and that he would not be returning anytime soon.


Although Lin waited until Saturday before formally making the decision to have surgery, it certainly made business sense for the Knicks organization to withhold medical information about its Linsanity star.  But that doesn't explain why the Knicks, who are 2 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot with 13 games left, weren't forthcoming about Lin's condition after Wednesday's postseason ticket deadline passed.

The Knicks had no exp-Lin-ation for the delay.

Nor did it explain why the Knicks contradicted interim-head coach Mike Woodson— who first had raised the possibility of Lin's "sore" knee being more serious than a two or three game re-hab and that the injury actually could sideline him for the rest of the regular season.

It's not every day that an organization goes out of its way to refute something the head coach says— when in fact, Woodson was just being truthful.  On Friday in Atlanta, Woodson told reporters that he didn't know "when" or "if" Lin would return to the lineup.  Within one hour, the Knicks media relations staff released a statement to select media outlets contradicting Woodson.

In the Knicks favor, Lin hadn't decided to go ahead with the surgery, so there was a chance he could have played in Indiana on Tuesday or in Orlando on Thursday.  However, an MRI taken four days earlier had already shown the knee was more than just "sore"— it was damaged.  Lin was already leaning towards getting arthroscopic surgery.

Woodson was only giving fans and reporters a truthful assessment of Lin's injury in his opinion.

It's a wonder that the truthful and unflappable Lin didn't spill the beans before the deadline passed.

Lin is looking at missing up to six weeks of game time after surgery— which could possibly have him suiting up by the second round of the playoffs— if the Knicks get that far.

Woodson is behind Lin's decision but wasn't sure if his point guard would postpone his surgery until after the season.  "Only he knows his body," said Woodson.

Lin is optimistic but claims he never had surgery before.

"I'm a fast healer," he said.

Lin can't wait for Tebow-mania

If anybody knows sports hysteria it's Jeremy Lin.  The man who kicked off Linsanity in a New York Knicks uniform is thrilled that Tim Tebow is coming to town.

"It's awesome.  I'm just excited for him and to see what he does," said the Knicks point guard.

"We'll see what happens next year, but I'm excited obviously that he's going to be in New York," said Lin after dumping 16 fourth quarter points on the Philadelphia 76ers in last night night's 82-79 win.

Lin's rise to worldwide celebrity didn't come with the baggage Tebow-mania lugs into New York.  The journeyman NBA player was an anonymous benchwarmer crashing on his brother's couch when his star rose.

Tebow just doesn't want to end up being a couch— Tim Couch that is.

The expectations and questions surrounding Tebow's role as New York Jet are a lot more complicated than Lin's magical turn and the New York media is ready to pounce.

Tebow had his shining moments last season but now comes in with a $2.5 million, two second-round draft picks price tag.

Tebow-mania in Denver is being Cinderella — Tebow-mania in New York is the clock striking twelve.

Lin dealt handily with the few weeks of Linsanity and had some tips for the incoming quarterback/tight end/fullback/fill-in-the-blank to help cope with the distractions in his new city.

"Everyone gave me some advice— they said, 'Make sure not to read the papers,'" Lin joked with reporters.  "But I don't want to offend you guys.  But that's what I've been told.  I don't really read anything.  I think it helps me."

Lin said he did not talk with Tebow— who's #15 Jets jersey will soon replace Lin's as NYC's best seller— yesterday during the wild trade-talk frenzy between the Denver Broncos and Jets, but said he'd like to catch a few Jets games this season.

Both athletes are deeply religious men, and Lin revealed that he has never Tebowed with his fellow Christian.  That could all change once Tebow gets into the Jets dysfunctional locker room.

"I've only talked to him like once," said Lin. "But he's a great guy from everything I hear, and the conversation I had with him was great as well."

After Tebow meets Gang Green and the hungry media, he might want to keep a Bible handy and his phone's speed dial set to Linsanity.

Knicks fly Air LIN-gus to win over Pacers

Just when you thought Linsanity was over, the NBA craze pulls you back in.  Saturday night, inside Banker's Life Fieldhouse, Jeremy Lin once again showed everyone what all the hubbub was once all about.

Sporting their St. Patrick's Day green uniforms, the New York Knicks coasted to a 102-88 victory over the Indiana Pacers and won their third straight game under interim coach Mike Woodson.

The Knicks are back in eighth place in the Eastern  Conference and Lin is looking like the flashy point guard former head coach Mike D'Antoni unleashed before his abrupt retirement last week.

Lin finished the game with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and only two turnovers.




The Knicks turnaround since D'Antoni's departure has been amazing.  Last night, the team even played defense and held the Pacers to 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Lin was all over the place and sliced and diced Indiana's defense like the J-Lin of old— well...  three weeks ago.  He slashed his way to the basket and dished passes in traffic even when the Pacers were knocking him around.

On one play before the half, Lin raced down the lane for a tear-drop off the glass, but fell hard to the floor.  He seemed light-headed after the play but on the next possession went full-court for another lay-up.

"I'm learning to play in a less spread offense," Lin said.  "A lot of stuff is still the same.  But there are times when I won't have as many opportunities.  I just need to be select about when to go.  I think tonight was a big step."

After the 2-and-8 slump before the Knicks' coaching change, the team is 3-0 and play watchable basketball once again.

The retailers better stock the shelves with plenty of green #17 jerseys— Linsanity is back.

Lin says he owes D'Antoni "a lot" for starting Linsanity

No one was more stunned about New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni's resignation than the man at the center of all of the Linsanity— Jeremy Lin, himself.

"I was surprised," Lin said of D'Antoni's departure.  "I know some people were talking about it and what-not, but I didn't know the reality of it.  I figured after the shoot-around he's definitely be here."

"What he did for my career, I'm not going to forget what he did for me personally," Lin said.  "It's very emotional.  I'm sad to see him go and I owe a lot to him."

Lin has many reasons to be thankful for D'Antoni.

The Knicks coach took a chance on the little used and oft-travelled point guard— who was bunking on his brother's couch— when he got the chance to show his skills.  Putting Lin in the starting lineup turned New York and the NBA upside-down.

Lin thrived under D'Antoni's fast-paced system and turned the Knicks from a plodding, boring team into a winning sensation.  The team was 8-1 after Lin was given the chance to take over on Feb. 4 and brought roaring crowds back to Madison Square Garden.

Interim coach Mike Woodson— a defensive coach— indicated he will make changes to the Knicks lineup and style of play, but after one game, the most noticeable difference was a lull in Lin's game.  He finished last night's 121-79 rout of Portland with un-Lin-teresting numbers (six points, six assists and six turnovers).

Whether or not it was Carmelo Anthony's return or if D'Antoni lost control of the team as the reasons for the end of Linsanity, it's a moot point now.  D"Antoni is gone and Linsanity has subsided.

Lin, on the other hand, will continue to take the changes in stride.

"It's going to be, including the D-league, like my sixth or seventh system in the last year and a half.  It'll be all right," Lin said with a smile after last night's game.  "We're not going to change everything.  Some things will be the same."

One thing that won't ever be the same is the few weeks of optimism that thing called Linsanity brought to the Garden.

Knicks better get out the Lin-iment

Jeremy Lin has been getting all the calls since his phenomenal run of Linsanity started but, last night, he got a taste of what life in the NBA might hold after Linsanity.

Jason Kidd smashed a forearm across the New York Knicks sensation in what looked like a flagrant foul  to everyone by the Dallas Mavericks point guard as Lin rose for a lay-up.  That is everyone except the officials.

Lin's knockdown wasn't the worst part of last night's 95-85 loss to the Mavericks.  It was how the defending champions have figured out the point guard's game since getting beat by the Knicks two weeks ago and how the officials looked the other way when Lin got battered by a veteran player.

Expect other teams and officials to follow the lead.

"They trapped him more," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni about the Mav's strategy.  "He did OK."

Lin had a good game (14 points, 7 assists and only 2 turnovers) but it was only half of the output in their first meeting (28 points, 14 assists).

There are many more questions surrounding Kidd's "hard-nosed" play.  Where were the rest of the Knicks while Lin was crumbled on the floor?

Did they have his back or were they just showing respect to Kidd— one of the toughest and most respected players in the NBA?

It was the Knicks fifth loss in the last eight games and the end of Linsanity is looming.

It looks like there won't be any more free passes for the Knicks best passer.  They  better do something before he ends up in a s-LIN-g.

Obama: I knew about Lin before everyone else

You can agree or disagree that President Barack Obama knows more than most people when it comes to foreign policies or national budgets and will probably be the first person alerted to a nuclear attack but— on a podcast recorded earlier this week —the country's number one basket fan said he he knew about about Jeremy Lin long before Linsanity struck.

In an interview with ESPN's Bill Simmons, the President told him he knew Lin would become a star.

"I knew about Jeremy before you did, or anyone else did, because Arne Duncan, my Secretary of Education, was captain of the Harvard team," Obama said.  "And so way back when, Arne and I were playing and he said, 'I'm telling you, we've got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard.'  And then one of my best friends, his son is a freshman at Harvard, and so when he went for a recruiting trip he saw Lin in action.  So I've been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon for a while."

Suddenly, Obama sounds less like the Leader of the Free World and more like Cliff— the know-it-all mailman— on "Cheers."

Duncan does know the game and was the MVP in last week's Celebrity Game at the NBA All-Star weekend in Orlando.

"What's interesting is the fact somehow folks were missing it in practice," said the Harvard-grad Obama about Lin.  "It's a terrific story.  He's seems like a wonderful young man.  And, look, it elevates this great game all around the world."

The President also revealed that he, and former top-aide Reggie Love, a former-Duke player, used to pass notes to his daughter's basketball coach during games— until she finally let them run practice.

Call it bi-partisan coaching.

Graffiti artists give Linsanity a tribute

Jeremy Lin has been painting the city of New York orange and blue for weeks and now— in their interpretation of Linsanity— a crew of graffiti artists have spray-painted a larger-than-life size image of the New York Knicks point guard on the brick wall outside an East Village building.

Who knew a religious, Harvard-educated out-of-towner could garner such street cred in New York.

The East Second Street mural is just a couple of stops on the F-line away from his brother's Lower East Side apartment where Lin famously crashed on a couch before his phenomenal rise to stardom and fame.

In a little over two hours, Wilfredo (Bio) Feliciano and three other members of his Bronx-based Tats Cru spray-painted the image of Lin holding up a big blue earth over his head with basketball seams sewn into the globe.  He looks like the mythic Atlas in a No. 17 Knicks uniform with three pigeons in astronaut helmets circling in the celestial background.

The graffiti crew went through a dozen cans of Rustoleum during the painting of the colorful tribute.  Passersby recognized the Knicks sensation and shouted "Linsanity!" as they walked by.

The artists used a photo of Lin shouting in celebration to capture the features of his face in their portrayal of the popular player.

The mural was commissioned by online culture magazine Animalnewyork for several thousand dollars and will be up for at least a month.

"We figured Atlas was the perfect kind of symbol for this myth," said an editor at Animalnewyork.  "We've tasked him with not only carrying the Knicks, but New York City too."

Knicks fans are hoping Lin's heroics last longer than the mural.

Is Jolie'ing the new Tebowing?

A couple of days after the Oscars and people aren't talking about "The Artist," Billy Crystal's comeback or how another Billy Beane project didn't win the big one.  No way.  The talk is about Angelina Jolie's leg.

When the star stuck her leg through the slit of her gown, she got more than some hearts going, she set off the the latest stampede of photo bombing and posing in... well... weeks.

The latest craze is called Jolie'ing.

Jolie's sexy red carpet stance has the Internet lighting up with people imitating (mocking?) her pose in everything from gowns to bed sheets.

Jolie'ing is carrying on the relatively new tradition of planking, Tebowing and all that stuff with Linsanity.

Just put your left hand on your hip, right hand slung down at your side and your right leg seductively thrust forward (preferably naked) and you are Jolie'ing.

Digitally altered Jolie leg-bombings of American icons like the Statue of Liberty, George Washington crossing the Delaware and Jeremy Lin are all the rage.

There is even a new website Angelina Jolie'ing where you can submit your own Jolie'ing shots.

The fad might have started when "The Descendants" co-writer Jim Rash got to the Oscar podium for his Academy Award and struck the Jolie pose.  I don't think Jolie was laughing.

Jolie's awkward stance has launched an lot of sites devoted to her right leg.  One Twitter handle — AngiesRightLeg— has almost 15,000 followers.

I don't know if Jolie'ing will catch on in sports like Tebowing— the thought of a Ray Lewis, head atilt, with a hand on his hip is a pretty scary image— for more than one reason.

Ben & Jerry's apologizes for using fortune cookies in 'Lin-Sanity' flavor

A Boston branch of Ben & Jerry's has apologized for offering a frozen yogurt flavor— that was inspired by NBA sensation Jeremy Lin and "listed fortune cookie pieces" as an ingredient— because there were a few complaints that it played on Asian stereotypes.

"Taste The Lin-Sanity"— a flavor offered for a limited time at the Vermont chain's Harvard Square location— replaced the fortune cookie bits with a waffle cookie served on the side after what the shop's general manager called "a bit of a backlash."

"On behalf of Ben & Jerry's Boston Scoop Shops, we offer a heartfelt apology if anyone was offended by our handmade Linsanity flavor that we offered at out Harvard Square location," the local company said yesterday on its @Ben.JerryBoston Twitter account.

The popular new flavor—which was only sold at the one location— sold out over the weekend.  Lin played his college ball at Harvard University.

"We are proud and honored to have Jeremy Lin hail from one of our fine, local universities and we are huge sports fans," said statement from the Ben & Jerry's Boston group.  "We were swept up in the nationwide Linsanity momentum.  Our intention was to create a flavor to honor Jeremy Lin's accomplishments and his meteoric rise in the NBA, and recognize that he was a local Harvard graduate.  We try to demonstrate our commitment as a Boston-based, value-led business & if we failed in this instance we offer our sincere apologies."

While everything from All-Star weekends to ice cream companies try to cash in on the Linsanity craze, it sounds like people are getting a little too sensitive about the Taiwanese-American's heritage.

The apology sounded awfully similar to the one made by ESPN after the network posted a headline and aired a word many consider offensive to Asians.  Those gaffes led to a suspension and a firing.

Funny thing is fortune cookies are rarely served in China and the after dinner treats are only mostly common in Chinese restaurants in the U.S..  They're as American as apple pie— or Jeremy Lin.

The politically-correct chain also said the pieces of cookie— mixed in with the frozen yogurt and lychee honey swirls— became soggy.

There was no exp-LIN-ation for that.

Spike and Mayweather hug it out courtside

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.— who tweeted derogatory comments about New York Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin being over-hyped because he was Asian— was spotted courtside making nice with the team's No. 1 fan Spike Lee last night in Miami.

Mayweather approached the Knicks fanatic during New York's 102-88 loss to the Miami Heat and the two shook hands, chatted and appeared to bury the hatchet.

Lee held a grudge against Mayweather because earlier this month the welterweight champ criticized— via Twitter— all of the attention Lin was getting based solely on his race.

"Jeremy Lin is a good player, but all the hype is because he's Asian," tweeted Mayweather.  "Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."

Lee took offense to the comment and immediately tweeted back .

"Floyd Mayweather I Hope You Watched Jeremy Hit The Gamewinning 3 Pointer With .005 Seconds Left.Our Guy Can BALL PLAIN AND SIMPLE.RECOGNIZE."

After last night's meeting, it looked like there was a truce.

"Floyd Mayweather And I Had A Great Conversation Courtside," Lee tweeted after the game.  "We're MAD COOL.ALL    LOVE.2Brotha's.YA-DIG."

Meanwhile, another huge Lin fan— and Mayweather's biggest rival— Manny Pacquiao was a little bummed out that he didn't get to see the Knicks player while he was in New York this week.

"It's too bad that I didn't get a chance to watch the game," said the welterweight at a press conference promoting his June 9 fight against Tim Bradley.  "He's a good basketball player.  I'm proud of him because he's from Asia."

Lin is actually from Palo Alto, Calif. but his parents are from Taiwan.

Pacquiao has also been the target of some of Mayweather's anti-Asian rants in the past.

Mayweather had the last laugh for now— after Lin was held to 1-of-11 shooting while turning the ball over eight times last night— but he will be headed to the cLINk in June for a domestic violence conviction.

Lin unlikely to make U.S. Olympic team; China is waiting

Will Jeremy Lin be playing on the U.S. Olympic basketball team in this summer's London Games?  Don't count on it.

Jerry Colangelo— the current director of USA Basketball— said Lin was "a great story for the NBA, for the Knicks, for this young man and what he's accomplished in such a short period of time."

The key word is "short."

The longtime sports executive also added," The players who already have time invested in the system have equity built up."

Could Colangelo be making the same mistake that big-time colleges and NBA teams did when they let Lin fly under their radar in the past?

In three weeks, Lin has made plenty of athletic directors, general mangers and coaches look back at how they missed out on giving the point guard his shot.

Linsanity package up for auction; current bid is $31,388

Auction houses are cashing in on the rise of Jeremy Lin and today is the final day fans can place bids on a Linsane package deal which includes four tickets to Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, the jersey Lin wore when he scored 38 points as the Knicks beat the Lakers on Feb. 10 and a meet-and-greet with the NBA's newest star after the game.

Bidding at Madison Square Garden's charity operation, The Garden of Dreams Foundation, are up to $31,388, according to the New York Post.

No skinfLINts allowed.

It might prove to be a good Lin-vestment.  A five-day auction for tickets and a grip-and-grin with Lin last week went for a measly $5,700 and Lin's D-League Erie Bayhawks #17 jersey is selling for almost $4,000 on eBay.  Bidding started at $1,500.

Better hurry, the value of anything Lin are rising as fast as his stardom.

So come on down to Crazy Dolan's.  Our prices are Linsaaaane!

Rex Chapman makes racially-charged joke about Lin on Twitter

While some of the puns about Jeremy Lin are quite creative and pretty funny, some people still don't know when they cross the line.  A couple of ESPN employees learned that lesson the hard way over the weekend.

Now, former University of Kentucky star and NBA player Rex Chapman made what many would call a racially insensitive joke about the New York Knicks pickup of J.R. Smith being a good move because he "played in China."


According to the New York Daily News, Chapman— who played 12 years in the NBA with the Hornets, Bullets, Heat and Suns—shared his thoughts via Twitter on the Knicks acquisition of Smith— who played in China during the NBA lockout— and joined the Knicks for the first time yesterday:

"I say J.R. is such a great pick-up 4 the #Lins only because he's been playing the past six-mo's in China.  So easy now for him to recognize his PG."

Chapman made the comments after the Knicks 104-97 win over the defending NBA champs the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Unless you have been living under a rock— or depended on the MSG Network for Knick games— Lin is Taiwanese-American and the first one to play in the NBA.

But Chapman didn't stop there, according to the Daily News.

User @Mars_Pow tweeted to Chapman, whose official account is @rexchapman, 'c'mon Rex, you know you are going to upset some people with that tweet.'

Chapman acted like it was no big deal.

He replied, "I'll let you know when I give a sh-t."

Lin's race has been publicly brought into the equation by a lot of people including boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and numerous reporters.  Broadcasters are being spoofed on Saturday Night Life for using racially-insensitive material about the Knicks point guard.

Through it all, Lin— the national sensation— has been taking it all in stride.

"They've apologized and so from my end, I don't care anymore," said Lin about the ESPN gaffes.  "You have to learn to forgive, and I don't even think that was intentional."

There are more important things for Lin to worry about than comments from a faded NBA player like Chapman.