Behind yet another strong performance from Asian-American point guard sensation Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks won their seventh straight game last night against the Sacramento Kings.
Although Lin only scored 10 points in the game, he dished out a career-high 13 assists, as the Knicks beat the Kings 100-85. Lin is the first NBA player with at least 20 points and seven assists in his first four starts.
Lin has scored 136 points in his first five starts, most by any NBA player since the NBA merged with the ABA in 1976. The Knicks are now back at .500, and they look to keep their linning streak alive against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
Lin's Cinderella-story performance has captivated the sport world, but he has not come without a fair share of detractors. On Monday, boxing champion Floyd Mayweather raised eyebrows on Twitter when he claimed Lin is only getting this much hype because he is Asian-American:
Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise.
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) February 13, 2012
PolicyMic's Chris Miles agrees:
"I don’t really care about Jeremy Lin. Maybe it’s because I’m not a New York Knicks fan, or an NBA fan in general. It’s definitely not because I’m racist. I just don’t think he’s worth all the praise.
... The media hype surrounding Lin is inflating a story that is hardly inspiring. There are scores of other NBA players who have proven themselves champions of adversity in their lives — emerging from broken families and neighborhoods, going to college, leading successful careers — and should be more deserving of such headlines.
... In an America where a black man has a longer life expectancy in prison than in average society, Lin is anything but extraordinary. Eighty-two percent of the NBA is more extraordinary than Lin."
Here's an infographic detailing Lin's incredible rise:
Click image to enlarge
Source: Infographic World
Do you think Lin is deserving of all the media attention? Or are there other NBA players that are more worthy of praise?
Photo Credit: Du Yang
