There's new proof that Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin is a bona fide NBA superstar: His high school jersey is getting air time on the back of one of the most famous NBA fans of all: Knicks die-hard supporter and film mogul Spike Lee.
As noted by ESPN New York and the Associated Press, photographed by the AP and Getty and seen by thousands in attendance at Friday's first loss of the Jeremy Lin as a starter Knicks-era, Spike Lee donned Lin's number 4 Palo Alto (Calif.) High jersey during New York's game against the Hornets at Madison Square Garden.
While the green duds didn't inspire Lin to his finest performance -- in fact, his season-high turnovers total essentially sealed the Knicks loss -- the fact that Lee was wearing the jersey was powerful proof that Lin is now officially a fully fledged New York sports sensation, the type of which hasn't been seen in some time.
After all, high school jerseys being sported in public are usually reserved for the uber-elite of the elite. Nike and other outfitters have created high school throwbacks for the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant in the past, so having Spike Lee rock a Jeremy Lin jersey is quite the statement.
Of course, the jersey Lee was sporting was exactly a Nike production, either. Rather, it was Lin's actual high school uniform, as handed over to the film director by another former Palo Alto player, Chris Bobel, on Friday.
According to ESPN New York, the entire high school jersey idea was the brainchild of Peter Diepenbrock, Lin's high school coach at Palo Alto. Diepenbrock told a New York radio station last week that he was planning to bring Lin's jersey to the Garden with the hope that Lee might actually wear it.
It didn't take long for that idea to filter out to Lee himself, who jumped at the chance and was proudly sporting Forest green courtside not long thereafter.
It's unknown whether Nike -- which sponsors Lin -- has any plans to produce Palo Alto jerseys or shirts anytime soon. If the sheer volume of Linsanity merchandise being trucked across the country as we speak is any indication, it might not be the worst idea.
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