They Call Us Bruce 174: They Call Us 38 at the Garden

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Frank Chi, director of the documentary short 38 AT THE GARDEN, which chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks -- and the fateful game where he dropped 38 points on the Los Angeles Lakers. They look back at the sheer joy of that moment, what Linsanity meant for Asian Americans, and why it still resonates ten years later.

New Documentary Revisits the Legend of Linsanity

'38 at the Garden' premieres October 11 on HBO.



I'll always remember the night Jeremy Lin dropped a stunning 38 points on the Lakers at Madison Square Garden. A new documentary short, 38 at the Garden, chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of your favorite Asian American point guard during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks -- the period that affectionately became known as "Linsanity." You know the story. But I'll never get tired of it.

A decade later, Lin's stature as a groundbreaking, cultural icon stands in stark relief to the recent hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. 38 at the Garden recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world. The film features a candid, new interview with Lin, as well as journalists Lisa Ling and Pablo Torre, comedians Ronny Chieng, Hasan Minhaj and Jenny Yang, and Knicks teammates Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert.

Here's the trailer:

Jeremy Lin surprises some fans. They are not cool with it.

"You're an asshole, Jeremy Lin!"



Four years after "Linsanity," is New York City ready to welcome back Jeremy Lin? In this Comedy Central video, the newest member of the Brooklyn Nets recently took to the streets to pull a few surprises on unsuspecting fans outside the Barclays Center. As you can see, they weren't thrilled about getting the crap scared out of them... even by Jeremy Lin.

This is obviously staged. But it's still funny.

Jeremy Lin scores 29 to stun San Antonio

Lin helps the Hornets come from behind -- waaay behind-- and deal the Spurs a historic loss.



Boom. Jeremy Lin had one hell of a night, scoring 29 points off the bench to help the Charlotte Hornets push past the San Antonio Spurs -- reminding everybody what that Linsanity thing was all about.

You could say Monday night got off to a slow start for Charlotte. The Spurs, coming off a win against the Warriors, held the Hornets to seven points in the first quarter -- the worst first quarter of the NBA season.

But as you may have heard, Jeremy knows a thing or two about being the underdog.

The 27-year-old guard scored 12 points in the second quarter to help kickstart the Charlotte offense and start the process of chopping down San Antonio's daunting 23-point lead. He followed that up by scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter to help Hornets rally for a 91-88 victory, snapping the Spurs' six-game winning streak.

Lin was 11 of 18 from the field and hit all four 3-point attempts, including three in the fourth quarter, and provided the go-ahead jumper with 48 seconds left. Dude was hot fire.

And here's the video evidence:

Jeremy Lin drops 24 points on the Cavaliers

Lin helps the Hornets claim victory over Eastern Conference leaders, 106-97.



On the eve of our 4-year Linsanniversary, Jeremy Lin reminded everybody what that business was all about, scoring 24 points and helping the Charlotte Hornets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 106-97.

Charlotte Hornets top East-leading Cleveland Cavs; Jeremy Lin nets 24

On Wednesday night, with starting point guard Kemba Walker out with a sore knee, Jeremy scored 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting, with eight assists and five rebounds against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers.

He scored 11 points in the third quarter, helping Charlotte overcome a nine-point halftime deficit, grab the lead and ultimately snap a four-game losing streak against Cleveland.

Here's the supercut video of Jeremy's highlights from Wednesday's game:

Jeremy Lin had to convince a Hornets security guard that he plays for Charlotte

"Went to the Hornets arena for 1st time and tried convincing security im a player. She said, 'what team?!?'"



After bouncing around to several NBA teams over the last three years, I imagine that newly signed Hornets guard Jeremy Lin is arriving in Charlotte with a few things to prove. But first, he'll have to prove that he belongs on the team. No, really -- he'll have to prove that to the Hornets' security in order to get into the team arena.

Jeremy Lin says Hornets security didn't believe he was NBA player

Over the weekend, Jeremy went to Time Warner Cable Arena, where the Hornets play, for the first time and apparently had a little bit of trouble at the door convincing arena security that he's a player. Not a fan. Not a trainer. A player. With a two-year $4.4 million contract to play for the Charlotte Hornets.

Jeremy tweeted about the incident with a good-natured "lollll":

Jeremy Lin drops season-high 29 points on the 76ers

And meet the fans who invited Jeremy -- via hand-made sign -- to their wedding.



Another big night for Jeremy Lin! During Sunday night's game against Philadelphia, your favorite Asian American point guard scored a season-high 29 points, helping the Lakers beat the 76ers, 101-87.

Jeremy Lin's season-high 29 points help Lakers beat 76ers

Okay, so never mind that it was a matchup between two of the NBA's worst teams. Jeremy threw down an impact performance worth talking about, scoring 29 points with five rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes.

With fourteen games left in a crushingly disappointing season, and free agency looming, I'd say this was a good time for Jeremy to make a statement. Like this niiiice no-look dish to Wesley Johnson for the dunk:

Do New Yorkers still recognize Jeremy Lin?

Former Knick returns to the city that gave birth to Linsanity, sits on a park bench. Waits.



Remember Linsanity? Ah, February 2012. I remember it well. Sleepless nights of watching game replays, tracking down sports bars that were playing the Knicks games, my Facebook timeline lit up with countless links and comments about Jeremy Lin. That was fun. And New York City was ground zero for all of it.

Of course that eventually came to an end, and Jeremy Lin parted ways with the New York Knicks. This week, the current Houston Rocket guard was back in the city where it all started. Would Linsanity be a distant memory? Sports Illustrated thought it would be fun to set up a hidden camera while Jeremy hung out on a park bench and see if anyone recognized him. Former New York City sensation? Or just a random Asian dude on the street?

Check it out what happens:

Jeremy Lin talks to the guy who wrote "The Linsanity Sham"

Also... Jeremy keeps it real with the kids!



Jeremy Lin recently visited HuffPost Live to talk about Linsanity, leaving the New York Knicks, and his charity work. The Houston Rocket guard admitted that he wasn't altogether comfortable with all the attention he received during the period that became known as "Linsanity," and acknowledged that he was hurt by the way the Knicks let him go at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Here's the full interview:

Jeremy Lin earns his first triple-double

15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists



BOOM. Maybe just a coincidence, but our dude Jeremy Lin is developing a habit of doing awesome things the night before the Super Bowl... On February 4, 2012, the unknown, unheralded point guard came off the New York Knicks bench to drop 25 points and kickstart what we now affectionately refer to as "Linsanity."

On Saturday night, Jeremy achieved another milestone, earning his first career triple-double -- scoring 15 points off the bench, along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- and helping lift the Houston Rockets to a 106-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. All to the chants of "Lin! Lin! Lin!" from the Toyota Center crowd.

Lin's first career triple-double paves road for Rockets' win

Jeremy was on fire. And he did it off the bench. Actually, it was the first triple-double for a Rockets player off the bench in nearly 16 years -- not since Cedric Maxwell's triple double on March 31, 1998.

Here are some highlights from the game:

Linsanity on DVD

Feature documentary tells the amazing underdog story of Jeremy Lin



The feature documentary Linsanity, directed by Evan Jackson Leong, is now available on DVD. To celebrate, I'm giving some free copies. To find out how to enter for your chance to win, scroll down to the bottom... [UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered.]

The inspirational film, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, chronicles the unlikely underdog rise of basketball star Jeremy Lin, who seemingly came out of nowhere, off the New York Knicks bench in February 2012 and proceeded to electrify the world of professional sports and beyond.

Fortunately, Evan and his team had the cameras rolling long before anyone got an inkling of the phenomenon we now affectionately call "Linsanity." Behind Jeremy's incredible rise is a simple story of family, faith and finding identity. You don't have to care a lick about sports to find inspiration in Jeremy's amazing journey.

Here's the theatrical trailer:

Jeremy Lin signs endorsement deal with Adidas

Jeremy parts ways with Nike, will play a significant role in shoe rival's global strategy



What kind of kicks does an Asian American basketball star rock? Adidas, apparently. The Jeremy Lin shoe rumors are true. Your favorite point guard has signed an endorsement deal with adidas.

Jeremy Lin signs shoe deal with Adidas.

Jeremy Lin has parted ways with Nike to sign a new deal with sneaker rival adidas. Dollar details of the deal aren't being reported, but it must have been pretty sweet to woo him from the shoe giant, which dominates the global basketball shoe/apparel market. Can we expect a new line of Linsanity sneakers?

Jeremy joins fellow Houston Rockets star Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls as an adidas pitchman. No doubt, they probably have big plans to use Jeremy in their international marketing efforts.

Here's the press release from adidas:

Two nights of Linsanity in one week? This might be a thing.

Jeremy Lin does it again, dropping nine 3-pointers in Philadelphia.



The Houston Rockets fell short, squandering a fourth-quarter double-digit lead in a 123-117 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. But man, Jeremy Lin showed no signs of cooling down, scoring 34 points with 12 assists: Rockets again squander late lead, lose to 76ers in OT.

Jeremy's shot from beyond the arc seemed close to unstoppable, sinking a career-high nine 3-pointers -- tying a Rockets franchise record. Bad night for Houston -- a loss is a loss. But we can celebrate a pretty dang great night for number 7. I'm not going to say Linsanity is back... but I sure remember what it looks like.

Here's the video with Jeremy's highlights from the game:

Last night was downright Linsanity-esque

Jeremy Lin drops 31 points in a double-overtime win over the Raptors.



It was the return of Linsanity! For one night, at least. And hopefully many more nights to come. Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score a season-high 31 points, leading the Houston Rockets to 110-104 double-overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors: Lin's aggression bails out Rockets against Raptors.

In nearly 46 minutes of play, your favorite point guard shot 10 for 17, including three three-pointers, and hit 8 of 9 from the free throw line. In case you missed it, here are Jeremy's awesome moments from the game, conveniently compiled in one five-minute video:

Daniel Dae Kim is a Jeremy Lin fan too

Hawaii Five-0 star narrates the feature documentary Linsanity.



You know I am a fan of actor Daniel Dae Kim, star of Hawaii Five-0 and Lost. But do you know who Daniel is a fan of? Jeremy Lin, of course. DDK caught the Linsanity too, and even bought a Knicks jersey to prove it. He also lent his voice as narrator of Evan Jackson Leong's feature documentary Linsanity, now in theaters.

But even long before Jeremy was a household name, Daniel was down with the Lin. Check out this interview where he talks about Linsanity, being a fan, and the first time he ever heard about this kid named Jeremy Lin:

Taiwan is crazy for Jeremy Lin. The feeling is mutual.

Some highlights from the Houston Rockets' trip to Taiwan.



You might have heard that Jeremy Lin was in Taiwan with the Houston Rockets to play a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers. You might have also heard that he kicked some butt on the court and made quite a showing for his Taipei fans, who were out in full force. Houston topped Indiana, 107-98, and Jeremy finished with 17 points on 6 for 8 shooting, including 3 for 4 three-pointers, with four assists, three steals, two rebounds. Oh, and one nice dunk. Here's a brief video with some highlights from the game:

One-on-One with Linsanity director Evan Jackson Leong

Behind-the-scenes documentary tells the amazing underdog story of Jeremy Lin



The weekend box office was good to the Linsanity team. The indie documentary feature scored big, earning $103,000 on just nine screens, with a per-screen average of $11,444 -- second only to overall box office winner Gravity, which averaged $15,538 on 3,575 screens. I'd say that's a big win: Specialty Box Office: 'A Touch Of Sin' Capitalizes On New York Film Festival Buzz, 'Linsanity' Docu Solid.

I thought this might be a good opportunity to repost my Sound and Fury podcast conversation with Evan Jackson Leong, director of Linsanity. He drops some interesting details on forging a relationship with Jeremy Lin, getting the inside track on "Linsanity" and the long, patient road to making the documentary. Here are some cuts from our conversation...

Mr. Lin's Extreme Workout

"If he can do the hook shot, I believe he can be a NBA superstar."



Ever wonder how Jeremy Lin got his basketball skillz? Lots of hard work and hustle... and a very specific training regimen prescribed by his father, Mr. Gie-Ming Lin. The unorthodox (and rather messy) workout involves blindfolds, eggs, water balloons, and of course, the hook shot. So get focused, and watch and learn some fundamentals from Papa Lin's Extreme Workout:

LINSANITY documentary opens in theaters this Friday

Have you made your plans yet? Tickets are available now.



Sports fans! Movie lovers! Jeremy Lin devotees! The feature documentary Linsanity, directed by Evan Jackson Leong, hits select theaters nationwide this Friday, October 4. The film is an in-depth look at the unlikely underdog story of Jeremy Lin, from one kid's humble hoop dreams to his meteoric rise to global NBA stardom. But this is not an overnight success story. This is a story about family, faith and perseverance.

Since even before its world premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, I've talked a lot about this movie. This is your chance to relive the Linsanity. Have you made your plans yet? Tickets are available now. The important thing to remember is that first weekend ticket sales are really important to ensure that the film's theatrical run has a better chance in the weeks to come.

First, here's the theatrical trailer again to get you psyched:

Sound and Fury Podcast Episode 12: Evan Jackson Leong

Hey there, podcast listeners! The Sound and Fury podcast is back with something new for your ears. Episode 12 features a cool conversation with filmmaker Evan Jackson Leong, whose latest feature film Linsanity, about inspirational basketball star Jeremy Lin, hits theaters on October 4.

As always, thank you to everyone for listening, and helping us get to a dozen episodes. Your feedback and encouraging words are greatly appreciated. To catch up on previous episodes, get the rundown here. To get new episodes delivered to your device as soon as they're released, be sure to subscribe.

But check it, here's my conversation with Evan Jackson Leong: