Watching Jeremy Lin used to remind me of my youth basketball experience—scrub duties, easily tired, but occasionally brilliant. (OK, maybe I was very rarely brilliant, or maybe never. Whatever.) Lin, an Asian-American who hails from nearby Palo Alto High School and went to Harvard University, recently blossomed into a starting point guard for the New York Knicks, despite being a perennial bench warmer for his entire two-year career.

Although he’s easily tired, sometimes out of control and makes as many turnovers as assists, Lin’s spirit dominates games. Every time Lin goes into the game, mayhem ensues. Asian fan girls squeal like it’s Michael Jordan and not a nerdish-looking Asian guy. The announcers, normally lethargic, enthuse over Lin’s humble character and relentless energy.

And yet … the 6-3 guard couldn’t look more out of place among the 7-foot NBA trees. To know Jeremy Lin is to know a fighter. Coming out of college, no team would pick him, perhaps because of the stereotypes about his race. When the Golden State Warriors picked him up, it was mostly to attract the Asian fan base. An average person might not understand the hoopla over this hoopster beyond his race … but it’s so much more.

Every time Lin plays basketball, one is constantly reminded of his mortality. Dribbling the ball against a double team, he gets stripped for an easy fast break. At the end of a game, he is so tired that he struggles to talk the reporter. You can barely hear him when the crowd chants his name, not just because he’s fatigued, but because he is so humble.

He is in one sense the embodiment of every basketball playing Asian American’s dreams. Harvard and the NBA?! Are you kidding me?

And maybe that’s why he’s so loved. When Lin plays basketball, he holds in his hands the hopes of an entire demographic. Every time the he drives in against 7-foot centers, dreamers everywhere are reminded of their underdog status.

But when the ball some how finds its way through the hoop, we rejoice because it is in a sense a miracle. Not because Lin has no chance, but because someone like us has the chance to play ball. For my money, there has never been a more inspired basketball player, or someone who’s so fun to watch. He’s not a great shooter, nor a great athlete, but Lin has willed himself to greatness.