Jeremy Lin, the first NBA player of Taiwanese descent, won the Best Breakthrough Athlete award on Wednesday at one of the most glamorous events on the US’ annual sports calendar.
The accolade, part of the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards, dubbed the “Oscars of sports,” represented recognition of the “Linsanity” hoopla created by Lin during the 2011-2012 NBA season with his brilliant, breakout performance.
Dressed in a stylish light-grey suit, Lin accepted the trophy from famous NFL New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow at the celebrity-studded ceremony held at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
Photo: AFP
Lin, who shot to global stardom after coming off the New York Knicks bench and leading the squad to a seven-game winning streak in February, said at the ceremony that he felt honored and gratified to win the trophy.
He expressed gratitude to his parents and thanked his Knicks teammates.
New York is fantastic, especially its basketball fans, Lin said, adding that he wants to share the award with all New York fans.
Lin revealed in a Twitter post that he had borrowed some items of his outfit for the occasion.
“Going to the ESPY ... trying the bowtie for the first time. Thanks to friends for letting me borrow stuff for the outfit,” he said.
On the red-carpet walk, Lin warmly greeted his Knicks teammate Landry Fields, who has reportedly reached a three-year contract deal with the Toronto Raptors.
In an interview prior to the ceremony, Lin did not touch on any contract issues, but said the “Linsanity” craze has indeed changed his life.
The NBA free-agent signing moratorium ended on Wednesday, but there was still no word if the Knicks would match the Houston Rockets’ four-year, US$28.8 million offer to Lin, who is now a restricted free agent.
Some media reports speculated that Lin was upset at the Knicks’ negotiating strategy, under which the team would not make Lin an offer and had him set his own market, essentially forcing him into an offer sheet from another club.
On Twitter, Lin disputed that any ill feelings still exist over the Knicks’ strategy, writing: “Lol why do u guys believe everything? No quotes from me = probably not true.”
The 23-year-old Harvard economics graduate also thanked his fans for their votes, which helped him win the ESPY award.
“THANKS and much LOVE to all the fans for the ESPY votes,” he said.
Taiwan’s world No. 1 female golfer, Yani Tseng, was nominated for ESPY awards in the Best International Athlete category and the Best Female Golfer category, but she failed to clinch either of them.
The annual event is organized by the US TV network ESPN.
LeBron James was the big winner at the ESPY Awards, collecting three trophies, including Male Athlete of the Year, for helping the Miami Heat win the NBA championship.
Baylor basketball star Brittney Griner won two trophies, including female athlete of the year, in which she beat out French Open champion Maria Sharapova, skier Lindsay Vonn and soccer player Abby Wambach.
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the English Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham United’s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham Hotspur a lifeline in the battle for survival. The Gunners have stumbled toward the finish line in their quest for a first league title in 22 years, blowing a sizeable lead over Manchester City in a series of nervous displays. However, the return of Saka, making his first start in six weeks, freed up Mikel Arteta’s men in a dominant performance that shrugged
RSS