If the NBA didn't have a certified sensation on its hands before last night, it does now. Harvard wunderkind Jeremy Lin scored 38 points to lead the New York Knicks past Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers, reports AP. Unfamiliar with Lin? He is only the fourth Asian-American to play in the NBA and the first US-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent to do so, notes ABC News in a profile. And up until last week, he'd been a bench-warmer who got overlooked in the draft.
Then came a monster week for the point guard, who seems to have single-handedly revived the Knicks' fortunes en route to become the city's new sports darling. (Chants of "MVP" were going up last night.) His marketing potential is off the charts, notes ABC. Even Bryant is impressed: "I think it's a great story. I think it's a testament to perseverance and hard work. Good example for kids everywhere." (More New York Knicks stories.)