There is a human story， a story about luck， a story about faith， and above all， a story about basketball.

There are so many elements to what has happened already to Jeremy Lin， because the rest of the league1 missed him and the Knicks nearly did， because he comes from Harvard， because he is AsianAmerican， because basketball New York has fallen for him as suddenly and completely as it has. But as much as this is a basketball story， a New York story， a story about an Asian-American kid who has come from the end of the bench2 to become this kind of sudden star， the best part of it is that it is an American story.

It is a story about immigrant parents and the country of possibilities they imagined， for themselves and their children， a story of hard work and perseverance and perhaps dreams most of all.

“From the time were young enough to understand that this is a country of opportunity，” Lins college coach at Harvard， Tommy Amaker， said， “to me， thats what right about this story， not just his heritage or his Ivy League background. This isnt just about opportunity， its about putting in the work to be ready when opportunity does come your way.” Amaker said， “Did he need some luck？ Yeah， he needed some luck. But when he finally got some in the pros3， he was ready. This kid didnt just drop from the sky. Hes been grinding away4 his whole life. I get that hes more interesting because hes AsianAmerican， and hes from Harvard. But when his moment arrived， he was ready for it because hes passionate and committed and he worked.”

He is the kid who went undrafted in the NBA as great a player and playmaker as he was for Amaker at Harvard5. He is the kid who had been cut by the Warriors and Houston Rockets before he ended up at the end of Mike DAntonis6 bench. And five games ago， more out of sheer desperation than anything else， with an 8-15 Knicks team going absolutely nowhere， DAntoni gave Lin the ball. And the Knicks have not lost since. It is Jeremy Lin， who was ready for his moment and for his opportunity.

“Hes as positive a person as Ive ever been around，” one of Amakers assistants said. “But when wed talk after he got out of school， I could see doubt starting to creep in7. All the stuff youd expect for somebody as talented as he is. Am I ever going to get an opportunity？ Is it fair？ Why cant they see what I can do？” The assistant laughed now and said， “Well now everybody can see. As far as Im concerned， this really is a story that transcends basketball. This is the one about the kid who worked so hard on his ball-handling and his shooting， sometimes when it was just him and the machine we call ‘the gun feeding him balls， that he kept burning holes in the bottom of his sneakers. It just took the rest of the world longer to see what we used to see from J（short for Jeremy Lin） when there werent 1，000 people in the gym.”

He came out of Palo Alto8， but Stanford didnt want him. So Stanford missed Jeremy Lin， too. He sent out DVDs of himself to Ivy League schools and Harvard wanted him and Amaker showed up his sophomore year， and this was a coachs dream， too， walking into the gym and finding a player like Jeremy Lin waiting for him.

“Hes a dynamic， special player，” Tommy Amaker said.“And theres a center to him that I think has always been there. Whats happening to him and around him right now， believe me， hell handle it. This stuff wont get him all twisted and turned9. His faith is important to him， and his faith in himself. Theres an inner peace and calmness there. He knows who he is. I believe hes always known.”

He lives his parents dreams， the dreams of all parents whether they are immigrants or not. The America they imagined， the one where you cant be held back if you are tough enough and good enough， that has become Jeremy Lins America， too. So sensational has his play been that enthusiasts swiftly coined10 the term “Linsanity” to describe it. “I would say its a miracle just because anytime something like this happens， a lot of stuff has to be put into place， and a lot of it is out of my control，” said Jeremy Lin of his rise to fame.

But right now the Jeremy Lin story is about how in a society full of nonsense and noise， of fizz11 and vapor， of pretty colors and manufactured products， we ache for real magic. Here it is.

這是關(guān)于一個人的故事，一個關(guān)于運氣的故事，一個關(guān)于信仰的故事，然而首先這是一個關(guān)于籃球的故事。 林書豪如何走到今天這一步，其中有太多故事可以講述：（美國）國家籃球協(xié)會的其他球隊錯過了他，尼克斯隊也差點兒與他失之交臂；他來自哈佛大學(xué)，他是一個亞裔美國人；紐約籃球界已經(jīng)迅速而徹底地為他瘋狂。盡管這是一個關(guān)于籃球的故事、紐約的故事、一個亞裔小伙子從替補名單的末尾異軍突起成為明星的故事，最妙之處在于這也是一個美國夢的故事。

這個故事講述了一對移民父母來到美國，為自己、為他們的孩子憧憬未來的無限可能；他們辛苦工作、堅韌不拔，最重要的是飽含著夢想。

“我們懵懂年少時就懂得了這是一個充滿機會的國家，”林書豪在哈佛大學(xué)的教練湯米·阿梅克說道，“對我來說，這正是這個故事的精髓，而不僅僅是他的天賦，或者他在常青藤盟校的教育背景。這也不只關(guān)乎機會，而是當(dāng)機會來到你面前時，你事先得做好準備去迎接?！卑⒚房诉€說：“他（林書豪）需要運氣嗎？是的，他需要點兒運氣。但當(dāng)他在職業(yè)籃球圈內(nèi)運氣到來時，他已做好十足準備。這個小子不是從天而降的。他一直都在打拼。我能理解，因為他是亞裔，而且在哈佛大學(xué)上學(xué)，這使得他更引人注目。但是（更重要的是）他充滿激情、全心投入、認真苦干，因此當(dāng)輪到他表現(xiàn)的時刻到來時，他已經(jīng)做好充足準備抓住時機。”

林書豪在哈佛?；@球隊時是一名優(yōu)秀球員和善于組織進攻的隊員，他來到美國職業(yè)籃球聯(lián)賽的賽場時也一樣優(yōu)秀，但是選秀中沒有被選上，沒有哪個球隊愿意和他簽約。他先后被勇士隊和休斯敦火箭隊拒之門外，最終成為邁克·德安東尼麾下墊底的替補隊員。在五場比賽之前，8勝15負的尼克斯隊前途未卜，出于絕望的德安東尼命林書豪上場。自此，尼克斯隊再沒輸過。林書豪為了這一刻、為了他的機會已經(jīng)做好了準備。

“他總是擁有積極向上的態(tài)度，” 阿梅克的一位年輕助手說道，“但是林書豪畢業(yè)之后我們曾聊過天，我看得出來他開始有些疑惑。像林書豪這種具有才華的人產(chǎn)生這些疑問是很正常的事情：我會有機會嗎？這是公平的嗎？為什么別人看不到我的能力？”這位助手現(xiàn)在笑談道，“如今大家都有目共睹。在我看來，這絕對是一個超越籃球的故事。這是林書豪努力練習(xí)控球、投籃技術(shù)的故事，有時候只剩下他和我們稱之為‘機關(guān)槍的投籃機，投籃機在不斷給他喂球，他在不斷地練習(xí)，練得常常把鞋底都磨出了洞。整個世界只是需要更長一點的時間才能注意到我們在他身上發(fā)現(xiàn)的優(yōu)點，畢竟我們的籃球場里只有不到1，000人嘛?！?/p>

林書豪來自帕洛阿爾托，但是斯坦福沒有錄取他。因此，斯坦福也錯失了良將。他把自己的錄像寄給常青藤盟校，被哈佛錄取。他大二時，阿梅克出現(xiàn)了。走進體育館，看到一個像林書豪這樣的球員等著他，這也是一個教練的夢想。

“他是一個充滿活力、具有特別魔力的球員?！睖住ぐ⒚房苏f道，“他內(nèi)心有一些東西，我認為，一直都在支撐著他。現(xiàn)在無論他自己或者他周圍發(fā)生了什么事，相信我，他都能夠處理好。這些事情不會讓他坐立不安。他的信仰對他很重要，而且他相信自己的能力。這是一種內(nèi)心的平靜和沉著。他知道自己是誰。我相信他一直以來都知道。”

林書豪實現(xiàn)了他父母的夢想，這其實是所有父母的夢想，無論他們是不是移民者。他們想象中的美國，是一個只要你足夠堅強、足夠優(yōu)秀，就沒有東西能夠阻攔你的地方，這里也成為了林書豪的美國。他的賽場表現(xiàn)引起轟動，狂熱的球迷迅速創(chuàng)造了“林來瘋”這個詞來形容他的風(fēng)采。談到自己成為明星，林書豪說道：“我想說這是個奇跡，因為類似的事情發(fā)生需要具備許多因素，而且好多因素我都控制不了?！?/p>

然而，現(xiàn)在林書豪的故事講的是在這樣一個甚囂塵上的社會里，充斥著神馬和浮云、五光十色和人造產(chǎn)品的社會里，我們渴望真正的魔力。它就在林書豪身上。