5 Reasons Why Jermey Lin’s Influence Can Rival Yao Ming’s

They are both standup players who carry themselves with grace and humility, on and off the court. They both represent Asia in the NBA. One plays PG, other was a Center. Here are a few reasons why the impact of one has the potential to overshadow the other.

Yao Ming with Jermey Lin (vice versa?)

Yao Ming’s impact on basketball in China and Asia is as huge as he is. He was the one who knocked down the door, stooped and walked in. Few people wake up knowing that there are a billion people who look at them as a beacon of hope. For those people, every missed shot deflates their bubble a little. Every dunk sends seismic vibrations throughout that continent.

For you or me, that kind of burden would make our knees buckle and we’d crumble in a heap underneath it. Yao had one thing going for him though. He grew up with that pressure. Jermey Lin came from relative obscurity and now he’s had that pressure thrust upon him. Yao grew accustomed to it, Lin came out of nowhere. Being undrafted, bouncing from team to team and languishing on the bench before finally breaking through in spectacular fashion.

How spectacular? Consider this:

- Jermey Lin has had five straight games with 20 + points, a total of 134 points.- 70000 to 199314. Those are the before and after numbers of Jermey Lin’s Twitter followers. The before-after period is of three days.

With the hustle-bustle of the compressed schedule of this season, there won’t be a whole lot of time for Lin’s impact to sink in for him. If/when the Knicks make the playoffs, that’s when Lin mania will hit in full force. And the offseason will be when Lin can sit and reflect on the role he has to play as a symbol of a billion.

Presumptuously, if Jermey Lin’s career continues to follow this trajectory, his impact on global basketball can rival that of Yao Ming’s. Here are four reasons why:

1. Houston vs New YorkYao Ming played for the Houston Rockets. That isn’t a very rocking market to being with. Compare that with Madison Square Garden and the most populous city in the USA, New York City. That notches up the intensity of the spotlight being shined on Lin’s exploits.

2. Tracy McGrady vs Carmelo Anthony and Amar`e StoudemireTracy Mcgrady’s jerseys were one of the most popular one’s in China. Along with Yao, T-Mac enjoyed the love and adulation which his teammate commanded in China. That worked both ways. McGrady contributed to Yao’s popularity by his contribution to the team’s wins and by being a lively foil to Yao’s stoicism. T-Mac was a true superstar in Houston, but Carmelo Anthony and Amar`e Stoudemire combined make for more than double the starpower.

3. There are more highlight plays of guards than of big menBig men only get the ball when it’s passed to them by their teammates. Unless you’re Blake Griffin going coast to coast like Charles Barkley. A low post game makes for fewer highlights than an open court skirmish. Big men don’t break ankles. A simple behind the back move by Yao became a highlight play. He wasn’t a rim-rattling dunker either. Being a PG, Lin has more room to make waves.

Whom can you identify with? A 7″6 behemoth or a 6″3 baller?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ckzznvXiA

4. Media boomThese days, news is leaked on Twitter before newspapers. People have wider access to online content and they have social media to express their elation at plays. Not that it didn’t exist a decade ago, but the media reach is a lot more widespread these days. Lin’s exploits are available to a wider audience to enjoy and construct a mythical aura around.

5. HistoryYao was manufactured to be a basketball player. It doesn’t take anything away from his accomplishments. But when he’s being compared to a player like Jermey Lin certain facts should be accounted for: The marriage of Yao’s parents was arranged, two tall people were wedded to produce a tall kid who would grow up, up and up. Yao’s life was planned out and he was walked through it.

Jermey Lin is a true underdog story. The contrast is even more stark when compared with Yao’s story. Both Jermey’s parents are 5”6. He’s 6”3.

Here’s a quote from Kobe Bryant on Jermey Lin: “It is a great story. It is a testament to perseverance and hard work. It is a good example to kids everywhere. I am sure he has put in a great deal of work in to always have that belief in himself. Now he has the opportunity to show it. It will be fun for the city once they get Carmelo back. It should be a lot of fun.”

Even if Lin’s career surpasses Yao’s, the latter deserves more respect

The pressure Yao carried can’t be compared to what Jermey has to deal with. Everyone has their own cross to bear but Yao’s was saturated with the expectations of a nation of a billion. Since he was a toddler he was groomed for the big leagues. Imagine what that entails, especially in a country like China where the government can dictate so much of their citizen’s lives.

However big Lin gets, however deep his impact is, the big fella had it tougher and he made it big. His shadow is inescapable right now. Five years down the line we can see if Lin was a one-hit wonder or he really can fill Yao’s size 18 shoes.