There probably isn’t a basketball fan in the world who doesn’t know Jeremy Lin and the state of Linsanity he created when he exploded off the New York Knicks bench in February 2012. As the story goes, Lin, an Asian-American, Harvard grad who came from humble beginnings, was snubbed from the draft and bounced from team to team until he emerged on the scene in spectacular fashion for the Knicks. However, long before Jeremy Lin sneaked onto the world stage against all odds, his challenges and successes were being captured on camera by an equally unknown filmmaker, who recognized there was a story to tell.
Documentary filmmaker Evan Jackson Leong says that although he was sold on the idea that Lin’s intriguing life story needed to be told, convincing the shy and low-keyed basketball player was not that easy.
“He’s like ‘I’m not Kim Kardashian, I’m reality, I don’t want that kind of attention. I’m just a ball player,’ ” Leong said of Lin’s reaction to the proposed film. “For me, you’re a ball player that has an awesome story, so, let’s try something.”
The Linsanity documentary follows Jeremy Lin through the ups and downs of his journey to the NBA, including the racial slurs and prejudice he suffered as an Asian ball player. The film features voiceover narration by Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”, “Hawaii Five-O”), and was received with standing ovation when it recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
Lin’s period of Linsanity lasted only a month with the Knicks, but during that time he inspired millions around the globe. He was later acquired by the Houston Rockets, his original NBA team, in a controversial off-season trade.
Check out the video of Leong introducing a brief clip from the documentary below…
