Is Knicks Sensation Jeremy Lin The New Tim Tebow?
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- First there was "Tebowing."
Now "Linsanity" is taking over the Internet.
This past NFL season, Tim Tebow shocked his critics by leading the Denver Broncos to a playoff berth. In doing so he spawned the wildly popular "Tebowing" meme, which involved snapping a picture of yourself in Tebow's signature prayer position.
Basketball point guard Jeremy Lin has since taken the "It Guy" baton, coming from nowhere to lead his once-floundering Knicks to five straight wins. And while he hasn't inspired a viral pose (yet), the Harvard product has set Twitter afire since emerging for 25 points in a 99-92 win over the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 4.
Fast forward to Monday.
Lin has gained 176,449 followers (@JLin7) in just nine days, according to TwitterCounter.com. A photo of the couch he slept on before last Saturday's victory has been retweeted more than 2,000 times.
Tribute songs dedicated to Lin have begun to pop up on YouTube. Even one former classmate is attempting to sell an "authentic" Lin-signed yearbook for $4,800 on eBay.
Oh yeah, it's from seventh grade.
And while he wasn't at his best this Saturday, Lin still managed to pack the house -- in Minnesota. The Target Center crowd of 20,232 was its largest since 2004.
Like Tebow, Lin has also been outspoken about his Christian faith.
"This team is so unselfish and has so much heart," Lin tweeted after leading the Knicks over the Timberwolves, 100-98. "Love playing with them! God is good!"
That's where the similarities end.
Tebow was a first-round draft pick from the football hotbed of Florida. Lin went undrafted out of Harvard, which isn't exactly known for its basketball program. The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets both gave up on the 23-year-old Taiwanese-American before New York picked him up in December.
Knicks fans hope they have a reason to keep hyping up their new sensation online. New York's "Linning" ways will be put to the test this week with All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire set to return to the fray.
And if Lin wants to approach Tebow's number of 1.2 million followers on Twitter -- at this rate he'll be there in 185 days, according to TwitterCounter.com -- he'll have to figure out a way to get the big boys involved.
Do you think Lin is the next Tebow? Sound off in the comments below...
