Mar 21, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) brings the ball up court during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Knicks defeated the Sixers 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-Imagn Images Howard Smith-Imagn Images

Knicks Icon Returns Love to New Star

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated May 10, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The ongoing second-round playoff clash between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics has former players from both sides aroused.

Famous Bostonites like Paul Pierce have had to publicly eat their words after doubting the Knicks, while New York legends like Patrick Ewing walk out with the team before they came back from back-to-back 20-point deficits to steal a 2-0 lead in Boston.

Another famous Knick was brought up as the Knicks prepare to try and hold serve at Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4, when All-Star center and first-year New Yorker Karl-Anthony Towns brought up the ties he's had to the team since long before he suited up for them.

He shouted out the Jeremy Lin gear he bought from Modell's Sporting Goods store before entering the NBA, and the famous former Knick quickly returned the favor in shouting out the star and his team.

Jeremy Lin is rooting for KAT pic.twitter.com/XGG9yTgOmo
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 9, 2025

This is about as well-liked and popular the Knicks have been since the days of Linsanity, when the fringe NBA player suddenly started playing like an All-Star himself with his job on the line in 2012 in turning the league upside down during his historic multi-week heat check.

He never reached the statistical heights of Ewing, Walt Frazier or teammate Carmelo Anthony, but there was a time when Lin was one of the most popular players in the association, his influence continuing beyond his stint and New York and reaching kids like Towns who were still a few steps out from making it to the league.

Lin sustains as a uniting force for Knicks fans, a reminder of one of the more prominent feel-good stories the franchise saw in an otherwise-down 2010s decade. His blessing on Towns and the team as they continue to make some history of their own is just the latest of many indicators of the team's building momentum, largely behind their famously loyal fanbase and their strong attachments to those who make the Knicks proud.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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