THE plot keeps thickening — all of it seemingly from Hollywood — and so do the puns. At its core are the elements of a compelling underdog epic — rejection, persistence, setbacks, surprises, triumphs and some luck. Jeremy Lin was never offered an athletic scholarship, was never drafted by an NBA team, was dropped by the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets and was days away from being let go by the New York Knicks. But after star players Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were unable to play in early February, the Knicks turned to Lin. And he has responded in amazing fashion. Lin, a 23-year-old Harvard University economics graduate, has produced the best five-game starting debut in modern NBA history. His averages of 23.3 points and 7.4 assists surpass those of such legends as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal. “Linsanity” was born, and even Barack Obama, the President of the United States — a big basketball fan — was taking notice. Knicks teammate Jared Jeffries said of Lin: “He’s the greatest story in sports right now.” “He was five or six days from being cut and now he is a catalyst for a team that’s playing as well as any in the NBA ... You can’t ask any more of a kid coming into this situation.” The 191-centimeter son of two 168-centimeter engineers from Taiwan, Lin had been dismissed, overlooked and undervalued as a basketball player. A former editor of his high school paper, the As on his report card were as straight as the edge of a ruler. Only six weeks ago, this came from Lin’s Twitter account: “Everytime I try to get into Madison Square Garden, the security guards ask me if im a trainer. LOL.” But he is having the last LOL. Now he’s a basketball rock star and NBA great O’Neal can’t stop singing his praises. “Linderrella story of the year,” O’Neal tweeted. “Jeremy lin has lingle handedly played lensational lincredible I’m linpressed all he does is Lin Lin Lin.” The success of Lin has spawned a seemingly unending number of Lin-puns, including Lintense, Linning, Lincredible, ThrillLin, Lin and a prayer, Super Lintendo, VaLintine’s Day, Linderella and of course, Linsanity. On Monday, Lin will be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the U.S. sports magazine announced yesterday. “It’s been pretty surreal,” Lin said about his sudden fame. “I’m just really trying to wake up every day and enjoy it, soak it all in; at the same time stay focused.” Wake up where? Usually, the couch in brother Josh’s one-bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side of New York. On the Web, fans can buy “Lin Your Face” and “LIN.Y.C.” shirts from the Web site www.linsanity.com. The domain names Linsanity.com, Lincredible.com, JeremyLin.com and TheJeremyLinShow.com have already been registered. In Asia, Lin’s popularity is the highest of any NBA player since the retirement of former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming of China. “Lin-Sanity: Coming from Behind to Score Five Wins in a Row,” Taiwan’s mass-circulation United Daily News roared across its front page after another successful weekend for Lin, the first U.S.-born NBA player of Chinese descent. “Hao the God: Writing a New York Legend,” the Taipei-based China Times said, coining a nickname based on the basketball prodigy’s Chinese name, Lin Shu-hao. Taiwanese sports journalists have gone into overdrive to unveil new tidbits of Lin-ology, interviewing relatives in central Taiwan and excavating long-forgotten examples of academic work that got him into Harvard. Lin is devout and open about his beliefs. He is basketball’s equivalent of NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. Except, Tebow was a first-round draft pick, while the NBA passed on Lin. A star is born? This is a Linderella story that’s made intriguing stops along the way. From Taiwan to Palo Alto to Harvard to summer leagues and developmental teams and aborted stays with Golden State and Houston. Now to Broadway. Linsanity.(SD-Agencies) 5 things you need to know LIN only caught his rising star on Feb. 4. Below lists the facts you need to know about the 23-year-old as the world watches him go from benchwarmer to household name. 1 He holds an Ivy League degree. The California-native traveled all the way across the country to attend Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, he majored in economics while excelling on the college’s basketball team. He graduated in 2010 with honors. 2 He began his professional career as an underdog. Since he wasn’t drafted into the pros upon graduation, Lin joined the Dallas Mavericks for their summer league, but was released on account of the competition. In July 2010, he signed with the Golden State Warriors in California, but was cut to free up a roster spot Dec. 9, 2011. Three days later he was picked up by the Houston Rockets, who then released him to sign a bigger name player. The New York Knicks signed him Dec. 27. 3 He’s been living modestly. Although signed by the Knicks, Lin’s over-US$700,000 contract was still up in the air up until the early February deadline to guarantee terms. So while in limbo, Lin slept on his brother’s couch in New York, and most notably, slept at teammate Landry Fields’ place the night before their game against the New Jersey Nets, which ended up being Lin’s breakthrough moment. Now that he’s signed to a one-year contract, the New York Post confirms that Lin is sub-letting a luxury Trump Towers apartment in Westchester, New York from ex-Knick and former Warriors teammate David Lee. 4 His last name is perfect for garnering nicknames. Fans and media outlets have come up with several lexicons inspired by his surname. Notable monikers include: Linsanity, Lincredible, Linsational, Linvincible, Super Lintendo and Linspiration. 5 Celebrities already love him. While director/producer and longtime Knicks fan Spike Lee has been going wild in his courtside seat, Lin’s star power has reached beyond Madison Square Garden, with stars like Aziz Ansari, Piers Morgan, Busta Rhymes, Sherri Shepherd and Rainn Wilson tweeting about him. (SD-Agencies) | 