Grant 

Lin-Sanity

Harvard University is the home to many famous scholars like Barrack Obama, Mark Zuckerburg and surprisingly Conan O’Brien. Harvard is known for its extraordinary education programs that spit out people with unheard of technical skills. For example, Harvard graduate Mark Zuckerburg is only in his mid 20s and is already the richest human in the world. Another fact about Harvard is that they rarely produce superior athletic teams, or great athletes, because of their focus on academics. In the winter of 2012 that all changed with the emergence of the Harvard guys basketball team winning 10 straight and earning the #20 ranking in the NCAA. More intriguing though, the sudden appearance and domination by Harvard graduate, Jeremy Lin, in the NBA is the biggest Harvard athlete surprise and considered by some the best sports story there is. 

 Not very often does an individual go through the Harvard program and not be successful afterwards. Surprisingly, Jeremy Lin was a part of the few who became unsuccessful. He felt that he was a good enough basketball player to enter the NBA after playing ball at Harvard University. His rookie year with the Golden State warriors he seldom played and was assigned to the D-League three times. The following year during the preseason he was cut by the Warriors. Not long after that the Houston Rockets signed him. It only took a few weeks for the Rockets to cut him also. At this time Lin started thinking about other future careers, realizing that going to the NBA was a total failure. There was still hope for his basketball career when he received a call from the New York Knicks, offering him a contract to be on the practice team. Jeremy Lin made him self at home on one of his generous friends couch for the next few weeks. Before nearly getting cut a third time this year, he finally received his opportunity to play in a game against the New Jersey Nets. Lin went off, dropping 25 points and 8 dimes (assists). Nobody believed in this kid and considered it a “fluke”. He would prove himself over the next six games, scoring 38 against NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, and nailing the game winning three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors.

In less then a week Lin transformed himself into a national icon supported by the entire city of New York and then some. Many consider him the best Harvard graduate, topping Mark Zuckerburg, Barrack Obama, and Conan O’Brien.  It has even been said that Jeremy Lin has created so much buzz that it has boosted the economy and stocks. In only a couple weeks Jeremy Lin has gone from almost being bankrupt living on his friends couch, to the most popular sports athlete living the dream in the NBA. His story is truly LINcredible!