The NBA even gave the Asian-American his own press conference which was usually only afforded to Commissioner David Stern.

　　However, about three weeks ago, the 1.91-meter-tall player had been struggling to have a stable contract with the New York Knicks and had to sleep on a teammate's couch when his brother's place wasn't available.

　　Unlike former Chinese player Yao Ming who was the Rockets' top pick in the 2002 draft, Lin was undrafted out of Harvard and was cut by two clubs late last year before he caught on with the Knicks, signing two days after Christmas.

　　He saw limited action in his first nine appearances in New York, averaging just six minutes a game.

　　The night before he scored 25 points off the bench against New Jersey, Lin had slept on teammate Landry Fields' couch and refused to get his own place as he headed into the week the Knicks would have to decide whether to cut him or keep him for the rest of the season.

　　But after that match Lin really found his pace, scoring 28 against Utah, 23 against Washington and going off for 38 points against Kobe Bryant's Lakers and the legend was born as the Knicks won nine of 10 games with Lin leading the chargeThe 23-year-old's Cinderella story has touched basketball fans around the world, and they even created a new word for him - "Linsanity".

　　Lin, the Harvard-educated guard and first American-born NBA player of Chinese heritage, has taken China and the world by storm, with his skills, humor and work ethics. He made it to the covers of both Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine's Asia Edition.

　　People tend to think Asians are better at "skill" sports like table tennis and diving, but come up short on physical and aggressive games like soccer and basketball. However, Lin and Yao Ming have proved that Asians could also become first-class basketball players with different styles, which inspires millions of young people including Wang Yipeng.

　　The 28-year-old Wang, who had played for a Beijing junior high school team, concluded that size and height didn't matter that much in basketball.

　　"Lin's success tells us that nothing is impossible as long as you try hard and do it right," said Wang, who stands only 1.65 meters tall. "One of my friends who didn't touch basketball for years told me that after watching Lin's game, he would hit the court tomorrow."

　　Lin also became a media darling in Taiwan, where his parents grew up. His sudden fame even propelled his grandmother to a newsmaker status as she repeatedly talked to the camera about Lin's eating habits in childhood.

　　Lin is also providing a fresh impetus to the NBA's lucrative China business in the wake of Yao's retirement. While difficult to match the huge interest generated by Yao over the years, Lin's sudden stardom means that basketball fans in China have another person to relate to, beyond Yi Jianlian, currently the Asian nation's only NBA player.

　　According to NBA China CEO David Shoemaker, Lin's stunning rise is spurring growth in TV ratings and merchandise sales that soared during the years Yao played with the Houston Rockets.

　　Lin's underdog story continued as he had his first bad game as a starter last Thursday, held to eight points and three assists on 1-for-11 shooting in a loss at Miami.

　　People are waiting to see Knicks' next match against the Celeveland Cavalier Thursday and looking forward to what "Lincredible" will deliver.