The increasingly epic tale of an unheralded international basketball phenomenon will add another chapter in Toronto on Tuesday, when Jeremy Lin leads the New York Knicks onto the court against the Toronto Raptors.
It is expected to be a packed crowd at the Air Canada Centre, in a game that will draw viewers not necessarily on the strength of the home team but on the hype surrounding their opponent.
This time, however, is a little different. It is not a high flying free agent or a superstar with his own shoe line drawing the crowds, but an undrafted, unheralded and unlikely success story that has launched the phenomenon of "Linsanity."
Lin, 23, was not drafted by an NBA team. He graduated from Harvard, not a college basketball powerhouse, and comes from an Asian background – three characteristics not common among your average NBA superstar.
"I don't think anybody expected this to happen the way it happened," Lin told a packed press conference on Tuesday. "Again, it is a credit to the coaching staff, the team and everyone.
"There were times of discouragement and bad games. I wondered how good I could be, if I could play at this level. It is frustrating whenever you don't play because at this level we all have pride."
Lin graduated from Harvard University and went undrafted in the 2010 entry draft. He was picked up by the Golden State Warriors but was cut in December without seeing much playing time.
The Houston Rockets gave him another shot this year, but released him to make room on their roster for a more experienced player.
He got one more chance, this time with the Knicks under the spotlight of New York City. He was given a seat at the end of the bench at the start of the season, eking out a brief moments of playing time until an injury gave him a chance to play.
The Lin legend includes the compulsory humble roots. After being called up to play for the Knicks on a temporary contract, Lin spent the first few weeks of his professional career sleeping on couches, alternatively squatting in the apartment of teammate Landry Fields or with his brother – a dental student.
At 6'3" the rail-thin son of Taiwanese engineers does not carry the gait of a professional basketball player. On month ago, he joked on Twitter that security guards at Madison Square Gardens doubted he was actually a player, asking him time and again if he were perhaps a team trainer.
That was before starting point guard Baron Davis missed time with an ailing back, giving Lin a chance to start and have four-straight breakout performances, launching a wave of pun-laden headlines like "Lindarella Story" and "Linsanity."
Since arriving in the NBA from the depths of its development league – a place where mediocre players go to wait, but future stars rarely visit – Lin has improved the fortunes of the Knicks with an unassuming swagger, crashing into teammates during post-game celebrations with the bashful look of a young man who still can't believe he has been given a jersey.
He averaged 27.3 points and 8.3 assists over his first four games as a starter, all wins. His 109 total points were the most an NBA player has ever scored in his first four starts since the1976-77 season.
He is the first player to score at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four games, and on Monday he was named NBA Player of the Week.
His fame was cemented last Friday night when he outplayed Kobe Bryant and beat the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Gardens.
New York versus L.A.: In a nationally-televised game from the most famous arena in North America. Against Bryant, one of the best players of all time.
And it was Lin – who until last week did not even have a guarantee he would have a job through the season, who claimed centre stage.
"He's been hot. Today we just added to the hype … probably kept him in the league for 10 years," said Lakers centre Andrew Bynum after Lin scored 38 points and led the Knicks to a 92-85 victory.
Before that there was the game against the Washington Wizards, when he deked out rookie star John Wall and cut through four other men before scoring with an undefended slam dunk. All while a loose band aid dangled from the end of his chin.
And before that the win against the Utah Jazz, after which Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni declared he would ride the sudden star like "Secretariat."
On Tuesday night, the next chapter in the Linderella story will take place in Toronto, when the Knicks face a struggling Raptors team.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey lauded the young point guard, congratulating him on his work ethic and success after years of hard work and disappointment.
"He could have given up and gone to law school, med school, whatever he wanted to do. But he stuck with his dream, stayed with it and took advantage of his opportunities," he said. "He's a great kid, he's humble. But we want to kick his butt tonight."
Added Raptors point guard Jose Calderon: "He has been playing good and the team is winning as well. For sure it is something big."
Lin is the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA and his surge into the spotlight has helped reinvigorate interest in the league in the burgeoning market, feared to be closing in the wake of Yao Ming's early retirement.
Beyond that, he has captured the attention of those not interested in box scores and playoff races. It is a rare case – like football's Tim Tebow – when an athlete grabs attention outside the sports world without the hint of tragedy or scandal.
"I try to not pay attention to it as much as possible," Lin said. "When I am with the team we stay focused and we know what to do. And I am just staying in my bible."
Matthew Coutts is on Twitter. Follow him at @mrcoutts.
