MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ― One point guard has practically been a household name since he started playing professionally at 14, a lottery pick who has made the two-year wait for his flashy passes well worth it.
The other went undrafted out of Harvard and unwanted in his first two stops in the NBA before a desperate team and a desperate coach gave him the chance he needed on the game’s biggest stage.
In their own different, yet equally dynamic ways, Ricky Rubio and Jeremy Lin have put their dormant franchises on their backs and given a jolt to the NBA’s long-standing mission of bringing the game to every corner of the world.
As the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, Lin is re-opening doors in Asia that some feared to be closing in the wake of Yao Ming’s retirement. He’s led the New York Knicks to five straight victories and has become an instant fan favorite at Madison Square Garden after Golden State and Houston both sent him packing.
Rubio is the Spanish sensation who has fans in Barcelona watching on Internet feeds in the wee hours of the morning. His infectious play has made him an instant rock star in the Twin Cities and has the Timberwolves gunning for the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (left) and forward Jared Jeffries have been enjoying the current winning streak. (AP-Yonhap News)
Together, they give the NBA two fresh young faces to trumpet to hoops-hungry hotbeds in Asia and Western Europe.
“The world is changing,” Rubio said after his Wolves lost to Lin’s Knicks 100-98 on Saturday night. “It’s not only America, it’s not only Europe. The world is the world. It’s growing up. Everybody’s following the NBA and they love if they have some players from their cities.”
Star players from overseas or with international appeal are nothing new to the NBA, which has marketed itself globally better than the other three major American sports of football, baseball and hockey. Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki is a former MVP who won a title last year, Spain’s Pau and Marc Gasol are high-profile players and Yao helped shepherd the league into China.
But as point guards, Lin and Rubio have the ball in their hands and control of the game at all times. And while their games, backgrounds and upbringings have been nearly polar opposites, the electricity they provide serves as a tie that binds.
“Both fill up the stat sheet, both play extremely hard and both are just infectious not only in their play but their personality as well,” Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Love said. “People just seem to love both of them.”
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
