Last Friday, Oct. 29, the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Pacific Northwest Conference, hosted their annual Asian Heritage Night at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Both teams worked hard, but the Warriors pushed to get the W, scoring 101-91 at home for this hyped, sports-loving crowd. With the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series and the Warriors’ ability to currently claim undefeated status, Bay Area sports fans have much to flaunt right now. This particular event drew in a crowd of over 2,100 people.
With a mix of fanatic bodies dressed in both San Francisco Giants gear and predominantly royal blue and California Golden yellow Ellis, Curry and Wright jerseys, it was clear that the crowd favorite was Bay Area-born rookie Jeremy Lin. Lin was a shining star at “Paly” -- his Alma Mater Palo Alto High School - near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
As a Harvard-educated Taiwanese-American, this point guard is one of the only Asian/Asian- American players in the NBA. Noted for not being recruited out of high school and going undrafted out of college, Lin endured a series of trials in summer camp games in the NBA Summer League. He chose to play for his hometown Warriors despite receiving offers from the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
During the Asian Heritage Night question and answer session, Lin said he had three counter offers that were higher than three other teams. In the session, a humble and grateful Lin revealed that he plans on working with underprivileged students and Asian American youth by organizing summer basketball camps now that he is back home in the Bay Area.
Because few Asians have played for professional basketball teams, Jeremy Lin represents what ESPN correspondent Richard Lapchick calls the “promise, but not yet prominence” of Asian American professional athletes. In the past sixty years, the NBA has only had a handful of Asian and Asian American players come through the league.
Wataru Misaka was the first Asian American and the first non-Caucasian to play in the National Basketball Association (formerly the Basketball Association of America). Misaka was a first-round draft pick for the New York Knicks in 1947 out of the University of Utah. Raymond Townsend was the first Pinoy basketball player in the NBA where he played for the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers from 1978-1982. Townsend was born in San Jose, California and he is currently the President of Filipino Hoops and Heritage Tour.
Several athletes of Asian descent have preceded Lin: the popular and ever-marketable Yao Ming from China was drafted in 2002 by the Houston Rockets, Yi Jianlian from China is a forward for the Washington (D.C.) Wizards, Sun Yue from China is a guard for the New York Knicks, Hamed Haddadi from Iran is a center for the Memphis Grizzlies, and Nate Robinson is 1/8 Pilipino and is a guard for the Boston Celtics, to name a few.
One could also say that there is another Pinoy in the NBA today: Erik Spoelstra is the half Pilipino, half Dutch head coach for the Miami Heat. Dedicated Pinay Warriors fan Emerald Maravilla had this to say about her Asian Heritage Night Experience: “I left a very happy fan. What added to the excitement was being able to witness Jeremy Lin's first minutes in an NBA game. The fervor was palpable in the Roaracle. When his aggression was rewarded with a jump ball, the rookie got a standing ovation. You don't see that very often.”
The Warriors will be hosting Filipino Heritage Night at the Oracle Arena on Friday, Nov. 19th, where they will be playing against the New York Knicks. Attendees will get a fresh Pilipino Night Shirt and will be able to see cultural Pilipino performances.
