Nets owner Joe Tsai is under fire from Brooklyn fans after announcing the Barclays Center will host a showing of “38 at the Garden,” a documentary of Jeremy Lin's breakout 2012 season with the New York Knicks.
A film about a thrilling Knicks moment screened in the Nets home? https://t.co/thfNpJdZOn
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) May 16, 2023
Showing a movie at Barclays Center (the home of the Nets) about a former Knicks player w/scenes that most likely include said Knicks player torching the Nets…
Am i understanding this correctly? https://t.co/USvMkZNLJT
— Justin Thomas/JT (@J_Thomas_24) May 16, 2023
What are we doing? https://t.co/ObnmJv1TLk
— Evan Roberts (@EvanRobertsWFAN) May 16, 2023
The film documents Lin's rise from the G-League to one of the most captivating stories in the NBA. The showing in Brooklyn was particularly surprising given a key scene in the film documents the first game of Lin's breakout, which came against the Nets.
10 years ago today, when the Knicks desperately need a victory, Jeremy Lin put up 25 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds against the Nets.
Linsanity was just about to begin.pic.twitter.com/fOLZD3xAjb
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 4, 2022
Tsai, who is Chinese like Lin, responded to the hoard of confused Brooklyn fans on Twitter, indicating that Linsanity was bigger than the Knicks-Nets rivalry:
“Nets fans: this is about honoring an Asian American who realized his dream of making in the big leagues,” he said. “The story should be respected and celebrated no matter where he played.”
He later added that Madison Square Garden refused to show the film:
“Postscript: MSG refused to show this film,” he said. “So I’m showing it because the story needs to be told. It’s a story about breaking stereotypes. It’s a New York City story.
Nets fans: this is about honoring an Asian American who realized his dream of making in the big leagues. The story should be respected and celebrated no matter where he played. https://t.co/TS2m8z56bD
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) May 16, 2023
Tsai and Brooklyn signed Lin in 2016, although he played just 37 games with the Nets over two seasons while battling injuries.
Barclays Center is showing the film on Saturday in partnership with The Asian-American Foundation, an organization with which Joe and Clara Wu Tsai are partners. The Nets are no strangers to embracing Asian culture during Tsai's time as owner. They hosted a Chinese Culture night in 2020-21 and 2022-23 before celebrating the Chinese New Year this season.
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