Why Is Linsanity Sweeping The Nation?

As the Knicks took on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on Friday, all eyes were on the most popular and talked about player in the league. And no, we don’t mean Bryant.

Last week, Jeremy Lin was just another NBA player vying for playing time on the hardwood for the New York Knicks.

But after a trio of stellar performances resulting in wins against the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, Lin is a household name and a fan favorite. Then on Friday, Lin showed his skeptics and Lakers fans that perhaps he is the real deal, notching up a career-high 38 points against one of the best teams in the league.

Lin had gained notoriety after leading in the Knicks during their three-game winning streak in points and assists on two occasion, averaging 25.3 points and 8.3 assists per game. The first game, against the Nets, was on Feb. 4, followed by a win against Utah on Monday and Wednesday’s win at Washington.

The fans are already loving him on the social sphere. According to social media aggregation website Topsy, over the past seven days, “Lin” has been mentioned more than 140K. He even got a shoutout on Twitter from Phoenix Suns’ point guard and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash.

If you love sports you have to love what Jeremy Lin is doing. Getting an opportunity and exploding!!

— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) February 9, 2012

So who is Jeremy Lin, and what has he done to Knicks fans?

Lin is a native of Palo Alto, Calif., and graduated from Harvard as an undrafted player in 2010. Born to Taiwanese parents, Lin was at one point ranked fourth on the Knicks’ point guard depth chart. After his contract with Knicks became official on Friday, he officially became the first Chinese-American NBA player in the league’s history.

If you’re interested, follow his journey on Twitter. His handle is @JLin7. He’s also got his own YouTube channel.

Here’s some highlights of his stellar performances against the Lakers.