The idea of an Asian basketball player bringing in the Asian fans isn’t a new thing; there was Ma Jian nearly making the Los Angeles Clippers roster with the undertone of attempting to bring in more Asian fans.

Then there was the Yao Ming coming into the NBA, and allegedly effecting the NBA All-Star voting.

Now, an Asian-American college superstar, Jeremy Lin, playing for Harvard, is packing arenas nationwide with Asian supporters

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“(Fans) snapped up discounted tickets for $8.88 apiece and made the hour-long drive from San Francisco — not to see Santa Clara in non-conference action, but to be mesmerized by Lin’s every movement.

Playing about 15 miles from his hometown of Palo Alto, Calif., Lin’s presence resulted in a capacity crowd at the 4,700-seat Leavey Center that included only a handful of his family members and droves of Asian-Americans wanting to witness his homecoming.

The 6-foot-3 senior, averaging 17.4 ppg for the 11-3 Crimson, said he didn’t pay attention to it until his teammates told him, “it was like Hong Kong.”

Asian fans are attracted to Jeremy Lin’s legacy, the 6-3 guard has a history of playing big when it matters the most.

Lin led Harvard to their first win over a ranked opponent when they defeated Boston College last season. The Crimson repeated that feat again this season, and nearly beat UConn late last year.

Lin also hit a buzzer-beating three in a triple overtime win over William & Mary.  See the full article at ESPN.