Linsanity | Teen Ink

Linsanity

February 3, 2014
By iOlivia BRONZE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
iOlivia BRONZE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

When someone wants something and believes in their dream so passionately, they will do anything, at any cost to get what they deserve. Having faith in your dream and hope is the key to everything in life, even when obstacles are thrown your way and people doubt you. In the documentary Linsanity, about the life story of the basketball sensation Jeremy Lin, shows how he believed in basketball so much and wanted to be in the NBA,  that he stopped at nothing and had faith to become one of the many phenomenal professional basketball players today.

In the beginning of the movie, it talked about what inspired Jeremy Lin to be a basketball player. As a kid he always enjoyed watching Michael Jordan, or any other player in the NBA. His father enrolled him and his brothers in a youth basketball team at a local YMCA and from that point on Jeremy really loved playing basketball. One quote that tested Jeremy’s faith was when his mom was being interviewed about him playing basketball as a kid. “All the AAU teams, they never wanted Jeremy, even though he was the best point guard.” People never really wanted him to be on their team, no matter how good he was. I think that even though people never wanted him on their team, he loved and had faith in himself that he wasn’t going to give up playing basketball.
Another quote was when Jeremy was being interview he said “I love being the underdog just because it’s what I’m use to.” People always doubted him and never thought he could be good or better than someone else. People expected him to lose and struggle in what he truly believed in, which was playing basketball. In the movie, Jeremy said, “I would be in this league, but people would say, oh but he can’t play well in this league.” No matter how good he was, people would put him down and didn’t believe in him. I think he had faith and believed in himself which persevered him to continue to play.

In the middle of the movie it talked about his high school career. Jeremy was the All-star player for his team, called the Vikings. He helped his team make it to the state championships. One quote from the movie was, “During his junior year, Jeremy merged as a Vikings star. With every game his skills and confidence grew.” Jeremy really believed in himself and what he loved. However, there were tough times for him in high school.
Jeremy had his ankle fractured and he couldn’t play in any games. The Vikings ended up almost losing and not making it to the state championships. When he did come back from that injury, he came back stronger than ever. The Vikings did end up winning the state championship with the help of Jeremy.
In the movie Jeremy’s coach said, “Jeremy Lin was the best player and yet colleges weren’t clambering for him. He just didn’t fit the mold.” Colleges and people involved with the college sports process wouldn’t look at him, no matter what anyone said. I think that they just doubted him. He didn’t look like someone who could play basketball. Jeremy said “I told myself I have one year left of guaranteed basketball. “I said I’m going to everything I can and go out fighting.” He wasn’t ready to give up faith and hope on his dream. Jeremy said “I was dying to go to Stanford, I would go there all the time, I would ask their coach ‘What can I do to play for you?” I think that they thought he didn’t look apart. Jeremy believed in himself and had faith because even though colleges didn’t look at him, he took the time to play with the players at Stanford and ask the coach would he could’ve done to join the team. I think that just tells you how much he had faith and hope in his dream.

Towards the end of the movie, it shows you how Jeremy Lin started playing in the NBA. During his NBA career he played for the Golden State Warriors, the Rockets, and his Linsanity phenomenon started with the Knicks. When he first started it was tough for him. The Golden State Warriors and Rockets had waived him, within in two weeks. I think that shows how Jeremy could’ve been playing bad at certain games, but both teams didn’t even give him the chance to prove himself as a basketball player. During the time Jeremy played for the Golden State Warriors and Rockets, both teams sent him to the D-League. The D-League was basically like a showcase for other teams to recruit you. A quote Jeremy’s older brother said about the D-League was, “It was tough because we knew he could play, it was just frustrating people were just so ready to bury him and give up on him.” I think that being sent to the D-League showed how the Golden State Warriors and Rockets doubted him and they didn’t believe in him.
After being waived from the Rockets, Jeremy was picked up by the Knicks. Even though being picked up was a good thing, Jeremy didn’t play for the 5 games. He said, “ Five games go by and I’m not playing at all. Nothing was really making sense to me. If you bring me in and don’t let me play in practice, let alone the games, then why am I here?” The Knicks picked him up but they didn’t let him play, I think they didn’t want him to play because they thought there were better players than him. The Knicks however, did let him play in one game against the Celtics, and they told Jeremy to not do too much, so he didn’t, that game he played awfully. In the movie it said, “He wasn’t in the Knicks’ plan and they looked for replacements.” Jeremy did think he was going to get cut from the Knicks, he said, “It’s hard for me because I really love basketball, like I love my dream. My dream is to play in the NBA and I wanted it so bad that I couldn’t imagine finally getting it and then losing it right away.”
The next game he would have a chance to play, however he wasn’t sure because of how awful he played the previous game. I think Jeremy believed that he was going to play and tried his best in that game doing what he loved. After playing that game, Jeremy Lin did amazingly. People knew who he was and there was a new hype called “Linsanity”. He played so well in 5 back to back consecutive games. At one of the games, someone kept yelling to Jeremy, “You’re a one week wonder, you’re not going to win this game, you suck!” That game the Knicks did end up winning because of Jeremy Lin. I think that he believed in himself and his dream even though people doubted him. He had the game of his life.

In conclusion, having faith in your dream and hope is the key to everything in life, even when obstacles are thrown at you and people doubt you. Jeremy Lin came from nothing to greatness. He believed, had faith, and was hopeful for his dream to become an NBA player. Through rough and good times, his dream became a reality. I think rough times are apart of the perfect plan. In the movie it says, “As Jeremy ends one chapter and begins another the road ahead will continue to test his perseverance but his faith will forever guide him.”



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