Revisiting 'Linsanity' with Knicks: The story of Jeremy Lin's 2012 New York takeover and post-hype NBA career

The first two decades of the 21st century were often miserable for the Knicks, who experienced plenty of losing and dysfunction in between only occasional highlights.

Earning the No. 2 seed and winning a playoff series in 2013 was a high point, but there was perhaps no more exhilarating time to be a Knicks fan than early 2012, when second-year undrafted guard Jeremy Lin took New York City and the entire NBA by storm.

A year after Carmelo Anthony restored hope for Knicks fans, Lin's out-of-nowhere run gave Madison Square Garden a feeling it hadn't had since perhaps since the 1999 NBA Finals.

Here's a look back at "Linsanity" and its best moments.

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What was Linsanity?

Lin enjoyed a productive career at Harvard, but with concerns about his shot, his small frame and his defense, he went undrafted in 2010.

The first 18 months of Lin's NBA career went by quietly. He appeared in 29 games with the Warriors as a rookie after a Summer League stint with the Mavericks, but he was cut by Golden State shortly after the lockout ended in 2011.

Lin's next stop wasn't New York. He spent most of the short training camp window with the Rockets before being waived on Christmas Eve. Days later, the Knicks claimed Lin in what was simply viewed as a depth move.

By early February, the combination of a Baron Davis injury and the Knicks' underperformance gave Lin an opportunity for playing time. He ran with it. Lin's breakthrough came against the Nets on Feb. 4, 2012, when he played 35 minutes and posted 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists in a 99-92 win.

What followed was remarkable. Lin rattled off five consecutive games of at least 20 points, including a 38-point explosion against the Lakers and a buzzer-beater against the Raptors.

Lin had nine games of at least 20 points in a 10-game span despite having 32 points all season heading into that stretch. The Knicks went 8-2 during that stretch, climbing from 8-15 to 16-17 and giving themselves a chance at the playoffs.

The Knicks would ultimately finish 36-30, going 28-15 after Lin's breakthrough game. 

With the success came international attention, as Lin attracted a massive Chinese audience due to his Taiwanese heritage. Back in New York, businesses started taking advantage of the moment, with Dunkin even selling blue and orange donuts with Lin's No. 17 written in icing.

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When was Linsanity?

The heart of Linsanity was contained entirely within February 2012, when he scored at least 20 points in nine of 10 games between Feb. 4 and Feb. 20. 

Lin still maintained a major role after that stretch, but he only had two more 20-point games over the remainder of the shortened season and missed the final month due to injury.

The Knicks, meanwhile, hit some bumps. New York lost its first six games of March, leading to coach Mike D'Antoni's resignation. The Knicks played much better under Mike Woodson, but Lin wasn't on the court for much of that resurgence. 

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Linsanity highlights

Linsanity began with a 25-point game against the Nets on Feb. 4, 2012:

What initially looked like a feel-good moment for an unheralded player started to look like more than just a fluke when Lin scored 28 points against the Jazz the very enxt game:

Lin's 38-point performance against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers might have been the peak of Linsanity:

If the Lakers gam wasn't the peak, this moment was: a buzzer-beater to beat the Raptors in Toronto, with the eyes of the entire basketball world already on him:

What happened to Jeremy Lin?

After his moment faded, the next question became whether the Knicks would bring Lin back for another season. The anticipated answer was yes, as Lin was a restricted free agent with the ability for the Knicks to match any offer sheet he signed, but New York found Lin's three-year deal with the Rockets worth more than $25 million too much to handle.

Just as Houston reunited with Lin, the Knicks chose to reunite with Raymond Felton on a cheaper three-year deal and make him their point guard once again.

Lin would spend seven more seasons in the NBA but became a bit of a journeyman, joining the Lakers after two seasons with the Rockets before stints with the Hornets, Nets, Hawks and Raptors.

Why did Jeremy Lin leave the NBA?

Lin's career was derailed by a season-ending patellar tendon tear on opening night of his second season in Brooklyn, but he was able to get back on the court to start the 2018-19 season in Atlanta. After a midseason trade to Toronto, Lin finished his career by winning a championship as a reserve with the Raptors. 

Lin spent much of the next six years playing internationally with stints in the Chinese Basketball Association and the Taiwan Professional Basketball League, earning MVP honors in the latter in 2025. Lin announced his retirement from basketball in August 2025. 

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Jeremy Lin Linsanity stats

Jeremy Lin 2011-12 stats

The Knicks never could have envisioned Lin averaging nearly 15 points per game when they claimed him off waivers from the Rockets, but he effectively kept Baron Davis off the court until an injury ended his regular season in late March.

Jeremy Lin stats from Feb. 2-20, 2012

The peak of Linsanity was something out of a movie, as Lin averaged nearly 25 points per game and more than nine assists per game while shooting just under 50 percent despite being relatively unknown at the start of the 10-game stretch. For comparison, Derrick Rose won MVP averaging 25.0 points and 7.7 assists per game on 43.5 percent shooting a season earlier. 

Jeremy Lin stats after Linsanity

Lin averaged more than six assists per game in his first season with the Rockets while playing next to James Harden, but he struggled to match those numbers or his Knicks marks in the years that followed.

After a bit of a resurgence with the Nets in 2016-17, Lin saw his 2017-18 season end after only one game. He would play a reserve role with the Hawks and Raptors in his final season.

Did Jeremy Lin win an NBA championship?

Lin finished his NBA career by winning a championship with the Raptors in 2019. Coach Nick Nurse shortened his rotation and didn't play Lin much at all in the playoffs, with the veteran guard playing a total of 27 minutes during Toronto's run, but the Raptors' upset of the Warriors in the NBA Finals gave Lin his first look at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

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Jeremy Lin career earnings

Lin made $65.75 million across nine NBA seasons, according to Spotrac. While he made only $762,195 in his breakthrough season with the Knicks, Lin made more than $25 million on the three-year deal he signed with the Rockets and made more than $11 million in each of his final three NBA seasons.

Linsanity documentary

Chinese-American director Evan Jackson Leong released a documentary titled "Linsanity" in 2013. The film captures Lin's rise with the Knicks and offers details about Lin's childhood and the adversity he faced as an Asian-American attempting to play at the highest levels of basketball.