There is a human story, a story about luck, a story about faith, and above all, a story about basketball.

There are so many elements to what has happened already to Jeremy Lin, because the rest of the league[1] missed him and the Knicks nearly did, because he comes from Harvard, because he is Asian-American, because basketball New York has fallen for him as suddenly and completely as it has. But as much as this is a basketball story, a New York story, a story about an Asian-American kid who has come from the end of the bench[2] to become this kind of sudden star, the best part of it is that it is an American story.

It is a story about immigrant parents and the country of possibilities they imagined, for themselves and their children, a story of hard work and perseverance and perhaps dreams most of all.

“From the time we’re young enough to understand that this is a country of opportunity,” Lin’s college coach at Harvard, Tommy Amaker, said. “To me, that’s what right about this story, not just his heritage or his Ivy League background. This isn’t just about opportunity, it’s about putting in the work to be ready when opportunity does come your way.” Amaker said, “Did he need some luck? Yeah, he needed some luck. But when he finally got some in the pros[3], he was ready. This kid didn’t just drop from the sky. He’s been grinding away[4] his whole life. I get that he’s more interesting because he’s Asian-American, and he’s from Harvard. But when his moment arrived, he was ready for it because he’s passionate and committed and he worked.”