'Linsanity' was exactly that earlier this year and the basketball community, along with much of the rest of the world went a little crazy over the emergence of a new star.
Jeremy Lin was everywhere as he burst onto the scene with the New York Knicks, scoring points and making headlines.
Lin, a Harvard graduate whose parents are from Taiwan, left the Knicks at the end of the season and is now with the Houston Rockets.
At the end of the season, Lin was a restricted free agent and it was expected that the Knicks would match any offer that Houston made, but the $25 million was just too much for a player famous for starting 25 games.
In all, he played 35 games and averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists a per game and a phenomenon was born.
Talking to KBME radio in Houston, the point guard revealed that he also thought that Linsanity, was, well, insane.
“Yeah, I think ever since the game against the Nets we'd walk in for breakfast every single morning into the practice facility, and they always had ESPN on and I would remember I would just eat breakfast in my locker instead of in there because I didn't want to hear or see about it.”
When asked if it all became too much, Lin, talking before the team started a pre-season training camp, agreed that it had affected his game.
“Just because during the season if you watch yourself too much I think for me it builds a little bit of complacency and a little bit of satisfaction that takes my edge down a little bit, which I can't have.”
It remains to be seen how his career develops away from New York. There were a number of factors that made up 'Linsanity’ and one of them was certainly the fact he was in the Big Apple.
Houston is going to be different. He is not going to have that major market going crazy for him, but now, he is the star of his new team ahead of the new season. That brings new kinds of pressures and he hopes to help what is an inexperienced team have a good season.
His new teammates are looking forward to playing with one of the biggest names in basketball.
“I can’t wait until I’m watching ESPN and I see a highlight of Jeremy Lin passing me the ball and I hit a shot and they say, 'Jeremy Lin to Jeremy Lamb,' said Jeremy Lamb, a rookie. “Or the other way around when I pass it to him, because he’s a great shooter.”
It will take some getting used to for Lin but fortunately after the outbreak of Linsanity, he should have built up a decent immunity to pressure. He is just looking forward to the new season.
"I think it's going to be fun because I really do think we're talented," Lin said. "If we can just buy into what coach is preaching and can absorb information quickly, I think we'll have a chance to do some cool things."
"We have to respect everybody who is in the league, but at the same time (we) have to have confidence in ourselves," he said.
"We may have less experience but with that comes our positives, our strengths, which is going to be our speed, our quickness, our athleticism.”