Kobe Bryant not caught up in 'Linsanity'

By foxsports
Published

It seems as though the whole world is buzzing about Jeremy Lin's sudden and drastic ascent from total anonymity to New York studded stardom.

But one prominent figure apparently is not aboard the LinExpress.

Kobe Bryant.

After the Lakers' dramatic 88-87 overtime win against Boston on Thursday, Bryant was asked for his thoughts on Jeremy Lin and the craze surrounding the guard that has been dubbed "Linsanity."

"What? No idea," Bryant said. "I know who he is but I don’t really know what’s going on too much with them."

When further prodded by reporters, Bryant added, "I don’t even know what he’s done. Like, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I’ll take a look at [the tape] tonight though."

He'd better.

Lin, a Harvard grad with a degree in economics, has gone from being cut by two mediocre NBA teams three months ago -- the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets -- to starring for the Knicks while averaging 25 points and eight assists over the last three games.

The alacrity with which Lin rose to prominence is quite shocking.

After all, when the Lakers last played New York on Dec. 29, Lin didn't enter the game until L.A. had already clinched the win with 1:39 remaining. When the teams play again Friday evening, things  surely will be different.

“I think it’s been surprising for everyone,” Pau Gasol said of Lin. “Obviously, a player that didn’t get any minutes, zero minutes, and was sent to the D-League at some point in the season. Pretty much never really done much in this league, and now to put together three games with the numbers that he’s playing is pretty surprising to anyone.”

Lin, a devout Christian who didn't receive any Division I scholarship offers out of high school and acknowledged that his chances of even making the NBA were "very, very, very small," told The Times in October 2010 that making the big league was "a miracle from God."

Said Matt Barnes: "A lot of guys in the league just need an opportunity to play. When your coach has confidence in you that’s all you really need, because if you’re in the NBA you can play, obviously."

-- Melissa Rohlin