The New York Knicks are preparing for the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The city is buzzing. The roster is healthy. And at the center of it all is Karl-Anthony Towns, a player who grew up rooting for this franchise before he became one of its most important pieces.
At his latest press conference ahead of the Finals, Towns took a moment to look back. And the name he brought up was one that every New York basketball fan knows.
Jeremy Lin.
Towns Shouts Out Lin at Finals Presser
GettyJeremy Lin, New York Knicks, Madison Square Garden.
Towns spoke about what it meant to him growing up as a Knicks fan and the players who shaped his love for the franchise. Lin came up immediately. I want to give a shoutout to Jeremy Lin,” Towns said. “He had me at Modell’s going crazy trying to find his jersey.” It was a nod to the Linsanity phenomenon of February 2012 that captivated not just New York but the entire basketball world.
Lin came out of nowhere that winter. Undrafted out of Harvard in 2010, he had spent the previous season playing 29 games for the Golden State Warriors before finding himself on the Knicks’ roster without much fanfare. Then everything changed.
Over a nine-game stretch, Lin averaged 25.0 points, 9.2 assists and 2.2 steals as New York went 8-1. Carmelo Anthony missed nearly all of that run with a groin injury, and Lin filled the void in a way nobody anticipated. He landed on two consecutive Sports Illustrated covers and one Time Magazine cover. Linsanity was real, and Towns was watching every moment of it from the perspective of a young fan falling deeper in love with his team.
What the Moment Means
GettyKarl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks.
For Towns, the shoutout was more than a nostalgic reference. It was a reminder of what this franchise means to people who grew up with it. Lin gave Knicks fans a reason to believe at a moment when the team needed exactly that. Towns is now doing something similar, helping to lead New York to the Finals for the first time in over two decades.
Lin carved out a nine-year NBA career across eight teams, averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. But his Linsanity stretch remains one of the more remarkable individual runs in recent NBA history, the kind of moment that gets passed down through generations of fans.
Towns is part of a different chapter now. A bigger one. But he has not forgotten the players who made him care about this team in the first place.
What It Means for the Knicks
The Knicks are seeking their third NBA championship and first since 1973. The Finals begin June 3 against the winner of the Western Conference Finals between Oklahoma City and San Antonio, with that series tied 3-3.
Towns arrived in New York as a trade acquisition and has embraced the city and the fanbase in a way that has resonated deeply. His willingness to speak about what the Knicks meant to him growing up adds another layer to a player who was already beloved by the Madison Square Garden faithful.
Lin started it all for a younger generation of Knicks fans. Towns is now trying to finish the job.
Final Word for the Knicks
Linsanity lit a spark. Towns and this Knicks team are trying to turn it into a championship.
Different eras. Same city. Same hunger.
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