New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin shoots the ball before the start of the game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

Three Greatest Jeremy Lin Knicks Moments

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Former New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin is enjoying his post-basketball life after announcing his retirement over the weekend.

Lin, 37, hasn't been in the NBA since 2019 when he won a championship with the Toronto Raptors, but he has been playing in China and Taiwan for the past five years. However, Lin is best known for his 35 games with the Knicks in the 2011-12 season, where he took the basketball world by storm.

Here's a look at his three best moments from his Knicks tenure:

Feb. 4, 2012 vs. New Jersey Nets

This is the game that put Lin on the map for the Knicks. With several players gone from the lineup, Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni inserted Lin into the game, where he went off and possibly saved his NBA career.

Lin scored 25 points as the Knicks came back to beat the Nets. Lin joined the starting lineup for the team's following game and the rest is history.

Feb. 10, 2012 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

In possibly Lin's best game of his career, he went toe-to-toe with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on national television. In the backdrop of Madison Square Garden, Lin lit up for 38 points to help the Knicks pick up a big win against the Lakers.

It was at this moment where "Linsanity" truly became a national phenomenon, becoming a global story rather than just something local to New York.

Feb. 14, 2012 vs. Toronto Raptors

While Lin wasn't as successful scoring the ball against the Raptors four days later like he was against the Lakers, he continued to have a flair for the dramatics.

With the game tied at 87, Lin had the ball at the top of the key as the clock wound down. Everyone in the building knew he was taking the shot and making it. His game-winner continued the "Linsanity" narrative, which lasted until March when a knee injury knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Lin was a restricted free agent and signed with the Houston Rockets that summer and the Knicks didn't match the offer sheet.

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

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