Editor's Note: Jiang Xueqin is a deputy principal at Peking University High School and the director of its International Division. He has previously worked as a journalist, a documentary film-maker, and a United Nations press officer.
By Jiang Xueqin, The Diplomat
One writer who must be excited right now about basketball team the New York Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin is Michael Lewis, America’s best writer of non-fiction. In his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Lewis profiles the Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane, as he stole unseen stars from wealthier teams by exploiting baseball’s prejudices; unlike the rest of baseball, Beane wasn’t interested in good looking athletic players who either hit homeruns or struck out nobly, but in smart players who got on base. In The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Lewis uses the inspiring rags-to-riches story of a poor homeless African-American high school player to explain how football strategy and tactics have evolved over the years.
And at long last, with the arrival of Jeremy Lin onto the world stage, Michael Lewis can complete his sports trilogy.
Lewis’s book would begin with last Friday, when basketball’s best player, Kobe Bryant, and his Los Angeles Lakers side waltzed into Madison Square Gardens. Having just heard of “Lin-sanity,” Bryant’s both bemused and annoyed. He’s heard how six days before, Lin, a player who slept on his brother’s couch and whom the Knicks were debating whether to pay minimum wage, scored 25 points against the New Jersey Nets, lifting the Knicks to a rare win and himself to instant Internet fame. And then Lin led the Knicks to victory against both the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, scoring over twenty points in both.
That’s all Hallmark movie-of-the-week nice and sweet, but now Lin and the Knicks must play against Kobe Bryant, who has led the LA Lakers to five NBA championships. And the Knicks haven’t beaten the Lakers since 2007. Plus the Knicks are missing their two star players.
So when Lin played the best game of his life, scoring 38 points against the Lakers, leading his team to a 92-85 win, even Kobe Bryant had to acknowledge Lin was no longer an Internet sensation, but a star: “Players don’t usually come out of nowhere. If you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning. But no one ever noticed.”
The 6 foot 3, 200 pound, 23-year old Lin’s story is truly remarkable. He’s the first Harvard graduate to play in the NBA in almost sixty years, and he’s the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese ancestry to play in the NBA. And his five games of averaging 20+ points make his the best start in NBA history. So Bryant’s implied question “How come nobody noticed Lin’s star potential?” would be the focus of Michael Lewis’s book, not just looking at how basketball players are born and bred, but also looking at the often ignored Asian-American community, and how Lin’s ascent promises to forever transform the Asian-American identity.
Kobe Bryant is right in that Jeremy Lin had the skills to be a superstar all along. As a high school senior, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a state championship, and was considered the best high school player in California. He hoped to play at UCLA or Stanford, but no college offered him an athletic scholarship. He got stuck at the professional athlete’s idea of a ghetto called Harvard, where he set Ivy League scoring records. Upon graduation, no NBA team drafted him, and when he signed with the Golden State Warriors, many speculated it was a publicity stunt, as Jeremy Lin had a large and loyal following among the local Asian-American community. He bounced from one NBA bench to another before ending up on the bench of the Knicks and sleeping on the Manhattan couch of his brother, a dental student at New York University. The Knicks were about to cut Lin when injuries and hopelessness called him off the bench against the New Jersey Nets.
So why didn’t anyone notice Jeremy Lin before?
The first answer is that sports teams often aren’t good at figuring out who’s really good, as Michael Lewis illustrated in Moneyball and as Malcolm Gladwell argued in his New Yorker article, “Game Theory.” Both Michael Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell make the same point: That professional baseball and basketball teams overvalue individual performance statistics, and undervalue statistics that show an individual’s contribution to team success. As he’s demonstrating with the New York Knicks and has previously demonstrated with Palo Alto High School and Harvard, Jeremy Lin is an excellent leader, ball passer, and court strategist, but he lacks the flashiness of an Allen Iverson, whom Gladwell considers one of basketball’s most over-rated players.
The second answer is complex and murky: That Lin was discriminated against because he was Asian-American.
As Michael Lewis reminds us in Moneyball, professional athletics discriminates against most people, especially those who are short, fat, or pitch underhand, irrespective of their actual ability and talent.
What’s interesting here is how Lin’s success could alter the way Asian-Americans are perceived and how they perceive themselves.
While Lin is the quintessential American underdog story of hard work and tenacity, passion and persistence conquering all it wasn’t an Asian-American story until Lin came along. Cultural prejudices against Asian-Americans tend to be stubborn and persistent because they happen to be mostly true: Many Asian-Americans excel in school without showing passion or curiosity, and become professionals where they demonstrate little initiative or creativity.
When college recruiters saw Lin play, many were probably thinking “He’s a scrawny Asian-American kid” and some may have been thinking “Does he have the passion and drive to excel at the game, or is he just playing us so that he can get a full scholarship to come to our school, drop out of the program to focus on his grades, and then end up as an investment banker?” And Lin probably didn’t articulate his love of the game because he also has those stereotypically Asian-American traits of humility, forbearance, and reticence.
As Lin’s recent performances prove, he must passionately love the game, which permitted him to stay focused and work hard, despite the cultural discrimination and his lack of genetic gifts. And that’s what makes him such a compelling story to people all around the world, whether they be basketball fans or not.
Lin will undoubtedly have some bad games now and then, but he’s already proven he can play in the NBA, and he will undoubtedly finish with a great first season that will herald a great professional career. But his historical significance will be how he’s a cultural pioneer, breaking barriers and prejudices, and transcending the limitations of his sport, his identity, and his time.
Jeremy Lin has made all Asian-Americans and many East Asians proud. And for young Asian-Americans who are silently and secretly battling their individual aspirations against parental demands and cultural expectations, Lin has finally given them a voice, and forever changed their world.
Michael Lewis, if you’re reading this: Get started on the book now.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of Jiang Xueqin. For more, visit The Diplomat.
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His career is still young. Lets wait and see before we anoint him the next basketball saviour. To the author: See what a little originality, freedom, and free market capitalism casn do.
Even though he's American born, China will probably ask for some compensation for his efforts–not unlike the case of Yao Ming a few years back.
Jeremy Lin is of Taiwanese descent; which is not owned by China. So he's quite different from Yao Ming.
Absolutely right, Linsanity is a Taiwanese, his parents are Taiwanese and his grandparents are also Taiwaese. Once again, he is from Taiwan not from China. I know many people still think him of a Chinese, That's super wrong.
Correction: Lin is an American's product with Chinese Taiwanese and American heritage. Most of all, he is a Christian.
To the atheist Lin is an offspring of monkeys, to the theist Lin is a human which is a precious creation of the almighty God.
Actually, to an atheist, he's the offspring of his parents.
Wrong. The only difference between Chinese and Taiwanese (unless you're aboriginal Taiwanese) is that one side won the war, and the other side lost and ran away to Taiwan. I know that for taiwanese nationalists, that's a little hard to swallow. Note: I'm not Chinese
Could the reason be due to the mentality that Chinese are only good for cooking Chinese food and doing laundry for the white people?
You missed the whole point of the article. Lin is not at all like Yao Ming. That's just your racism, seeing them in the same light because they're both Chinese. Yao Ming is 7'5". This guy is 6'3". This guy scores points and makes assists, while Yao Ming got rebounds and blocked shots. This guy went to Harvard. Did Yao Ming? Let's admit it, you're just a racist who can't see past your own skin color.
Two completely different things. Ming was 100% Chinese and a product of a sports factory that took young kids based on skills, size and ability and taught them intensely from 5 years old. He was fed, built and protected by a system that churns through 10,000's of children to make the best. Ming came out a giant. I sometimes feel sorry for a loss of childhood and freedom – but he seems like he's adjusted weill.
Lin on the other hand is American. Listen to him talk, look at his life. He worked hard, struggled and he came up with his dream – not have it set by the state. He's a scrawny 6 foot 3. Maybe its a flash but I hope him the best.
Im black and I think all this race talk is silly – its an amazing story. People can be proud of his Asian ancestry but if I saw a black guy start like this people would be equally amazed. It would be kind of like Obama coming straight out of Columbia and joining the Knicks.
100%.
His paternal family is from Taiwan, though his great grandfather is from Mainland china. His maternal grandmother is from mainland China as well. However, I would say he is more Taiwanese than Chinese.
all in all, he is an American!
"professional baseball and basketball teams overvalue individual performance statistics, and undervalue statistics that show an individual’s contribution to team success." - the same is true in the field of education and is pervasive in US culture that places emphasis on test scores over breadth of knowledge, diversity.
"Many Asian-Americans excel in school without showing passion or curiosity, and become professionals where they demonstrate little
initiative or creativity" - and so creativity and innovation never gets cultivated. Same is true in the US testing mania; emphasis on testing obscures talents that serve as more meaningful indicators for future success.
There may be some statistics that should be looked at and aren't right now but for the most part statistics do show a players contribution to a team. Points, assists, rebounds, steals, minutes played, etc. are all vital for a teams success. As more teams realize the importance of other stats such as plus – score or player efficiency rating they will certainly look at those numbers as well. Overall, I do not agree with the statement that individual stats do not demonstrate a players contribution ot a team. Also, Jeremy Lin put up great stats in both high school and college. He was top ten in the Ivy League in 10 different statistical categories. He was the best player on the best team in California. If scouts were looking at his stats he would have had a scholarship anywhere in the country and been a first round draft pick in the NBA.
So what do you think explains why Lin was overlooked?
Reblogged this on philliplorenzo and commented:
Jeremy Lin matters for so many reasons: heritage, Harvard, and being under the radar because of his heritage and Harvard.
What a great story. I haven't seen a feel good story come out of professional sports in a long time.
Good luck Lin, I'm a fan for life even if you start getting double teamed and have your average score come down to 10pts per game. Holin Cow.
Well, welcome ya'all to a new start for China. This guy is coming and when they will not see him he will be on the top unless haters like u and i know in the game put him down for money and fame. well keep your eyes open and watch
Very nice article. Well written and marked on many key points of the Jeremy Lin story.
What Lin is doing for the Knicks is great. He helped the Knicks get their game back on track. Yes, he is of Asian-American heritage let's not forget he probably honed his skills in America and not Asia. I can understand the fuss as the NBA is not dominated by Asian players. However, we must remember this is his his first season in the NBA and his performance this season is no clear indication that his performance will be just as great next. Let's give praise to him for helping the Knicks out, but let's be realistic – they have a roster with great players and were expected to be doing much better this year than they currently are, and let's wait and see just how well Lin does when the heat is really on.
That was a lockout crisis smacks NBA last year. The owners and players can't agree on a new financial system about to call off the entire season. That's why NBA looks for new markets, searching for new star. With Lin’s electrifying performance, the games have captured public’s eyes and enormous Chinese audients. After all, it’s not just a sport; it’s a money-spinning entertainment business.
Not only am I impressed by Lin's story, I'm impressed by this journalist. His text is lucid, rich and engrossing. An excellent entree into Lin's breakout performances, with quiet confidence and pride for his Asian subject, both Lin and Asians in general. While Lin made the story, Xueqin grabbed it like a big orange ball and slammed it into the hoop.
I tip my hat to you,
Zach, English teacher at Capital Normal University High School, Beijing
Linsanity is a Taiwanese, his parents are Taiwanese and his grandparents are also Taiwanese. Once again, he is from Taiwan not from China. I know many people still think him of a Chinese, That's super wrong.
He is an American's product with Chinese Taiwanese and American heritage. Most of all, he is a Christian.
Period Lin
It doesn't matter to people of other races like us; the only thing that matters,is that a poor Asian boy has made good just like the Oscar-awarding drama,Slum Dog Millionaire!!!
Could any of these writers at least contact some of the Div 1 coaches and ask why they didn't recruit a player of the year? Don't have to list names. Would be good to get some real reasons vs. speculating by the writer. This is about the 5th story I've seen where the writer gives possible theories about why he wasn't recruited....
At what point exactly did Michael Lewis become America's "best writer of non-fiction"?
Hands down one of the most amazing stories to hit the NBA. Everyone's hating is simply a reflection of their own deficiencies and insecurities.
Let's celebrate this for all the outstanding things that it represents- underdog, top performance by numbers, first Asian-American to dominant in the NBA and more. We celebrate Obama as the first black president but then everyone gets all concerned when an Asian American suddenly shows up a few brothers? I don't get it.
BTW, I'm African American and even I see the irony in this. The minorities should be sticking together, not tearing each other down.
Taiwanese, Chinese, Asian... doesn't matter. He's an American and a very smart one on top of that.
The dude went to Harvard and he can play the game. I hope his star burns well beyond the instant media coverage and he continues to excel.
It's great to see a humble, go getter with brains instead of another overpaid, whining, barely made it through college, "star" athlete.
Allen Iverson frequently led NBA in minutes played, steals, and was consistently in the top 5 in the NBA in scoring. He led a team that did not have one other player that all-star caliber to the NBA Finals. When he started for the Olympic team I often felt that he was the only player that was showing any leadership or any heart. He did this in 6'1 160 lb. frame often playing through painful injuries. In high school he was the state of Virginia player of te year in both basketball and football. He was two-time defensive player of the year in the Big East and owns the Georgetown record for average poitns per game.How was Allen Iverson overrated? Or in this new "Moneyball" approach" points, steals, defense, and championships don't matter.
terrible writer.... "One writer who must be excited right now about basketball team the New York Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin is Michael Lewis", what?? just reading that first sentence made me skip this whole article... and this is CNN...
I agree with Jim that the first sentence of the article is bad BUT the rest is awesomely written. Finally some real content in a story. Thank you! I would like to see someone dig into two thinks though. Why was he not considered and recruited by some of the better college programs? and Why did the NBA teams who obviously saw him play, backed by long term consistent statistics, not see his talent and give him a chance. He was going to be cut!!!? We need to interview some of these guys.
s,
I've noticed that a lot of people keep arguing over whether Lin is Chinese or Taiwanese. Actually, Lin is American. His parents are from Taiwan but he himself was born and raised in the USA. My grandparents are from Germany. Does that mean I'm from Germany too? I've never even been to Germany so of course not. We need to stop thinking of Lin as a foreigner because he clearly is not. He is not Chinese OR Taiwanese. He is an American.
How he wish more people ike you would assured him when was sitting on those boring benches.
White Americans at large are mostly racists in the heart, even if they dont it exteriorly.
White Americans at large are mostly racists in the heart, even if they dont show it exteriorly.
Correction: Most of us human are insecure and naturally we "are at large are mostly racists in head and heart".
Today in China, city folks calling migrant workers "farmers" is dismination and a "racist act" against another group of its own people.
Ok ,ok, White Americans at large are mostly racists in the head and heart, even if they dont show it exteriorly.
Can you Chinese city folks at least have some respect (human right) and hold your outbursts of swearing and disrespect to the migrant workers?
What right you have to call out others while you are doing just the same thing?
I think the whole discussion about race and Jeremy Lin has more to do with “perception” than “discrimination”. As for the writer’s statement that “many Asian-Americans excel in school without showing passion or curiosity, and become professionals where they demonstrate little initiative or creativity,” — well, those are pretty big words, and I feel that there’s a danger in believing that when it comes to creative activities and arts (sports, music, literature, visual arts and design, etc.), the Asian-Americans don’t at all try.
I can understand the writer: “many Asian-Americans excel in school without showing passion or curiosity, and become professionals where they demonstrate little initiative or creativity,” is the end product of Asian tiger moms' child education.
this is typical stereotypiing as a result of too much Hollywood exposure. Jimmy is the ONLY NBA from Harvard. So go eat your heart out Tomato..er... Amato.
this is typical stereotypiing as a result of too much Hollywood exposure and American media. Jimmy is the ONLY NBA player from Harvard, in NBA history.
So go eat your heart out Tomato..er... Amato.
“many Asian-Americans excel in school without showing passion or curiosity, and become professionals where they demonstrate little initiative or creativity”
This is a rather bias comment... =.=
My new hero !
Lin's back shots are simply amazing!
He is a smart kid, someone who uses his intelligence to outmanouvre his bigger opponents , making them look so clumsy and dumb
Fantastic issues altogether, you simply won a new reader. What could you recommend in regards to your publish that you made some days ago? Any sure?
Jeremy Lin's story just makes you wonder how many other players in the NBA have great talent. Many players, like Lin, barely ever get a chance to play, disallowing them to show the world what they really have. I feel that all the players should get a chance to prove themselves, however I have a feeling that the "stars" on the team wouldn't allow this. They would throw a fit if they lost some of their playing time, they would argue and demand that they play so many minutes or else they'll throw a tantrum. Why I think Jeremy Lin's story matters, is that it should open people's eyes that there is a lot of hidden talent in not only the NBA, but other sports, you just have to give them a chance to prove themselves.
This Chinese writer's command of English is quite good, and he has researched his topic well.
Ummm FYI they/he did play Kobe and the Lakers and Lin was the leading scorer with 38 points and he schooled Kobe.