Knicks star shares how Jeremy Lin's rise influenced team fandom: 'Second to none'

Jeremy Lin owned a fewer months of nan NBA season successful 2012 and gave New York Knicks fans a emotion they hadn’t knowledgeable successful rather a while – hope.

Even though Lin, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire ne'er produced a title aliases NBA Finals appearance, it was still a pivotal infinitesimal for nan squad to get backmost to relevance aft being retired of nan spotlight since 1999. This year’s loop of the Knicks is doing nan same.

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New York Knicks halfway Karl-Anthony Towns shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers halfway Jarrett Allen during nan 2nd half of Game 4 successful nan Eastern Conference finals successful Cleveland connected May 25, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and others person led New York backmost to its first NBA Finals quality since nan 1998-99 play pinch hopes of winning their first title since 1973.

Towns, who grew up successful New Jersey, said Friday that Lin was nan 1 who made him a Knicks fan. He was successful precocious schoolhouse arsenic "Linsanity" took complete basketball.

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New York Knicks defender Jeremy Lin plays against nan Minnesota Timberwolves astatine nan Target Center successful Minneapolis connected Feb. 11, 2012. The Knicks defeated nan Timberwolves 100-98. (Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports)

"I genuinely want to springiness a shoutout to Jeremy Lin because he really made maine a Knicks instrumentality and had maine astatine Modell’s," Towns said, via nan New York Post. "It was crazy trying to find his jersey. I person truthful overmuch emotion for Jeremy Lin, he’s 1 of my favourite Knicks of each time, 1 of my favourite players of each time.

"He made maine truthful passionate astir nan Knicks. It’s crazy now that I’m successful this position, successful this chair, talking to you guys arsenic a Knicks player. (They) showed maine nan different time Jeremy Lin connected societal [media], for him to moreover mention maine was benignant of crazy because nan emotion I person for him and what he’s done for maine and my Knicks fandom is 2nd to none."

Towns added that his parents helped him gravitate toward Knicks fandom complete nan Brooklyn Nets.

New York Knicks halfway Karl-Anthony Towns and teammates observe aft winning Game 4 successful nan Eastern Conference finals against nan Cleveland Cavaliers successful Cleveland connected May 25, 2026. (Tim Phillis/AP)

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Now, Towns will beryllium 4 wins distant from New York infamy.