“Linsanity” started when Jeremy Lin came in off the bench against the then-New Jersey Nets, and dropped 25 points on the team’s all-star point-guard Deron Williams and his team. After Lin’s perfect breakthrough lay-up draws an “and one” foul from his opponent, he is excited and overwhelmed by his performance, pumps his fist into the air and lets out a roar, as if declaring to all his setbacks in the past: “don’t you dare underestimate me!”
The media captured this gesture on film and his image soon went viral on the internet. For me, this gesture captured a touching moment, a declaration to the sporting world to get ready for what became an international phenomenon after Lin spurred the Knicks to seven straight wins.
I decided to preserve this moment in my sculpture, hoping to express that a moment of eternity had just passed before us. The reason why I applied a mirror finish to the sculpture is to insert a specific concept: when we look at Jeremy Lin, the Asian-American underdog, it’s like looking at oneself; we all hope to be like him, so we reflect our own face onto his, and wish that our dreams would come true, just like his did. Although Lin is still battling on the playing field, his significance already outweighs his performance. He reminds us of the fact that, though life is full of setbacks, we must continue to encourage ourselves, grasp our opportunities, and pursue our dreams!” – Words and art by Roger Huang
