NBA's Asian TV Providers Take Notice Of Jeremy Lin's Popularity

With Asian-American Knicks G Jeremy Lin quickly becoming an NBA star, ESPN is hosting a viewing party in Taiwan for 350 fans for tonight's Lakers-Knicks game. Also, several Asia-based NBA TV partners "have added extra Knicks games to their broadcast schedule" this month. China's Sina added tonight's game; Taiwan's Elta added upcoming games against the Raptors, Kings and Nets; ESPN Star Sports Taiwan added games against the Hornets and Hawks; and ESPN Philippines added the Hornets game (NEWSDAY.com, 2/9).

The Knicks this morning will begin selling “as many as 200” Lin jerseys for $54 at stores inside MSG. MSG employees yesterday created the only “legal No. 17 Lin jerseys in the city,” as they “arranged orange numerals and white letters on blank blue Knicks jerseys, then lowered hot presses onto them.” MSG PR Manager Stacey Escudero said that officials "hoped that some of the T-shirts would arrive before the 8 p.m. tipoff" of tonight’s game (N.Y. TIMES, 2/10).

Lin appears on the back pages of all three major N.Y. tabloids this morning.