SouthernWorldwide.com – In 2012, Jeremy Lin captivated the NBA season, igniting a sense of hope among New York Knicks fans that had been absent for a considerable time.
While Lin, Carmelo Anthony, and Amar’e Stoudemire did not ultimately deliver a championship or an NBA Finals appearance, their era marked a significant turning point for the team, bringing them back into relevance after a long period out of the spotlight since 1999. This year’s iteration of the Knicks is currently achieving a similar resurgence.
Players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart have guided New York back to their first NBA Finals appearance since the 1998-99 season, with aspirations of clinching their first title since 1973.
Towns, who grew up in New Jersey, shared on Friday that it was Jeremy Lin who initially turned him into a Knicks fan. He vividly remembers the “Linsanity” phenomenon taking over the basketball world during his high school years.
“I truly want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin because he really made me a Knicks fan and had me at Modell’s,” Towns stated, as reported by the New York Post. “It was crazy trying to find his jersey. I have so much love for Jeremy Lin, he’s one of my favorite Knicks of all time, one of my favorite players of all time.
He made me so passionate about the Knicks. It’s crazy now that I’m in this position, in this chair, talking to you guys as a Knicks player. They showed me the other day Jeremy Lin on social [media], for him to even mention me was kind of crazy because the love I have for him and what he’s done for me and my Knicks fandom is second to none.”
Towns also mentioned that his parents played a role in fostering his allegiance to the Knicks over the Brooklyn Nets.
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Now, Towns stands just four wins away from etching his name into New York basketball history.
