By Ling-Mei Wong
Before Linsanity took the world by storm, there was a young Chinese-American boy who loved basketball.
Jeremy Lin, 25, overcame discrimination to become an NBA player with the best start in history. “Linsanity” director Evan Jackson Leong followed Lin from his days at Harvard and documented his stratospheric rise.
Lin was a good athlete, leading his high school basketball team to victory against the top-ranked Mater Dei. Yet he got no offers from any college basketball team. He was accepted by Harvard and played for its team, which did not offer a scholarship.
The documentary builds to his stellar starting game for the New York Knicks, as he faced being cut. Lin’s blood, sweat and tears are shown, with Lin being disarmingly candid about his doubts and fears. When his NBA future was uncertain, Lin’s faith kept him going.
As the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent — and just one of nine Asians — Lin dealt with blatant racism on and off the court. Fans scream racist epithets right at the camera, while late-night hosts cracked jokes about his small eyes. While the pressure was overwhelming, Lin has dealt with his overnight fame gracefully.
“Linsanity” is a feel-good story, despite the breathless hype at times. Lin comes across as a goofy friend who remains down to earth and humble. Appearances by his family and friends drive home just how human Lin is navigating the meteoric highs and lows in his career.
Lin the athlete and Christian shines through in this documentary. For his sheer determination alone, this deserves five stars.
