He seemed to emerge from nowhere and became the hottest sports star in NBA, the United States, and in China. "Linsanity," "Lincredible," "Linderella" screamed the headlines around the world and his popularity soared worldwide.

He is the star of the moment having scored 89, 109 and 136 points in his first three, four and five starts in the big league, eclipsing former NBA MVPs Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan. He also made the cover of Time Magazine, something Kobe Bryant has never achieved.

And it is not just his sporting achievements that are causing a sensation. His No 17 jersey is flying off the shelves in New York and online around the world. Some US media have even begun matchmaking potential girlfriends for the golden boy, with Emma Stone, Vanessa Hudgens rumored as possible dates.

Is Linsanity really that big? Despite all the hype and glory, he is known as a humble and sometimes shy guy. Jeremy Lin is the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese descent. Take a poll on Jeremy Lin

Lin Profile

Full name: Jeremy Shu-How Lin
Born: August 23, 1988 (exactly ten years after Kobe Bryant)
Place of birth: Los Angeles,
California
Descent: Chinese-American
from Taiwan
Height: 1.91 meters
Weight: 91 kilograms
Education: Harvard University
Major: Graduated with a 3.1 PA
in Economics

NBA team: New York Knicks
(2011-present)
Jersey number: No 17
Position: Point guard
NBA draft: Undrafted in 2010
NBA debut: Oct 29, 2010
NBA statistics: Lin scored 136 points in his first five starts for Knicks, most by any NBA player since the NBA's merger with the ABA in 1976

Knicks ticket hot for grab
Average Knicks ticket prices have climbed around 17 percent on sites such as eBay, Stub Hub and Ticket master. Ticket's for Knicks' game against the Kings are averaging $414.05 - about 175 percent over their average before "Linsanity" broke out. Full story

Lin trademark registered
An owner of a sporting goods company in East China's Jiangsu province, spent less than 5,000 yuan ($794) when she registered "Jeremy S.H.L." as a trademark after watching Lin's performance in a televised NBA game one year ago. Full story

Domain names 'Linsanity'

Lin sport items

Media darling

*TV must-see

The NBA says its Asian TV partners have added Knicks games to their broadcast schedules following the emergence of Lin. Full story

* List of Lin puns run by media

Lintage Performance!
Lindow to Success!
Should Have Bought Ankle Linsurance! Just Got Linverted! Your Flowers Just Got PolLinized! Lincroyable! (For you francophones.)
Linter Is Coming! (For you fantasy nerds.)
Nuclear Linter! (For you cold war nerds.)

Most valuable value
Lin ignited a new American dream for Chinese-Americans. Full story

Smashing stereotypes

Asian-Americans have done well in America in many areas, but not in basketball. Lin's success can help change the stereotypes and prejudice regarding Chinese-Americans. Full story

ESPN sorry for offensive headline
ESPN fired an employee responsible for an offensive headline about Lin. Full story

'Give space for my family'

"One special request I have is for the media back in Taiwan to kind of give them their space because they can't even go to work without being bombarded and people following them." Full story

Hong Kong numb on Lin

In Hong Kong, however, some were less than convinced of Lin's star quality.

"He's not that special compared to the black players in the US." Full story

Lesson for Lin from Yao

However, what is more odious is how a sensational rise to stardom that could challenge stereotypes and prejudice has already turned a feel-good story into a racial issue. Full story

Girlfriend?

The Bleacher report has picked 10 hotties the Knicks' golden boy should date, including rising actresses Emma Stone and Vanessa Hudgens, and former fashion model Maggie Q.