If Lin Can

If only I had Linsanity as a kid.

When Jeremy Lin burst onto the scene in 2012 as an overnight NBA superstar, I was already in my 30s. But I often think about that magical stretch, and wonder what kind of impact it would have made on me if I had been a kid at the time. Specifically, an Asian American kid watching this player who looked more like me than any player I'd seen before. Watching this player take the world by storm, going toe-to-toe with the giants of the sport and more than holding his own. Watching him shatter stereotypes and preconceived notions of what Asians can't - and can - do on the basketball court and beyond.

I know it would have been transformative.

Which is why I'm pumped to announce that If Lin Can, my picture book biography of Lin, will arrive from Charlesbridge Publishing in spring 2024. With breathtaking illustrations from the incredible duo of Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên (whose work on books such as My First Day and The Floating Field I absolutely fell in love with), this book celebrates the legacy of Lin's unforgettable run with the New York Knicks, from the perspective of the legions of Asian American kids he inspired.

I can't wait to share more as we get closer to tipoff!