An NBA YouTuber breaks down the play where Jeremy Lin famously waved off Kobe Bryant and made the tough shot.
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Superstar guards often wave off attempted screens from their support cast when they feel they have a good match-up. Evidently, a player needs to have an insane amount of confidence to turn down help and go one-on-one instead.
Well, this time it was Jeremy Lin who shot down help. The attempted screen, however, came from none other than his legendary teammate Kobe Bryant.
Jeremy Lin wasn’t any scrub during his prime. The former champ with the Raptors was extremely clutch, and had the ability to drain tough shots from anywhere on the court. This was proved during the famous “Linsanity” run, when the star carried the Knicks to the playoffs on his back with brilliant performances.
Was going through my backup hard drive and noticed I never shared this. Here’s some Linsanity!#Knicks #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/ygPhz7IADf
— anDrew (@Starshapedgummy) September 9, 2021
A video is making rounds on social media where an analyst explains the play when Lin waved Kobe off. The incident occurred during an LA showdown, with 4:49 on the clock and the score tied at 103.
After turning down Kobe Bryant’s help, Jeremy Lin drained a tough 3-pointer over Chris Paul.
The YouTuber explains how Kobe Bryant was asking for the ball with Chris Paul on him, not realizing that Blake Griffin was creeping up behind him. When Lin pointed the threat out, Kobe pointed towards Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer, implying Lin to pass the ball to the left.
Lin, however, was aware the both Hill and Boozer weren’t great shooters and signaled for his teammates to clear out. Kobe misread the call as he thought Lin wanted a screen and went straight up to JJ Redick, Lin’s defender. It didn’t matter at the end as Jeremy Lin went on to drain the bucket over Chris Paul.
Also Read: When Mavericks legend chose loyalty over superteams by turning down LA and James Harden
After the shot, Jeremy Lin can be seen offering a nervous and lengthy explanation to Kobe about his call. Even if Lin made the shot, it was a tough situation that he had put himself in, and Kobe wasn’t too happy about it. It just shows how teammates respected Kobe and felt like they owed him an explanation after making questionable decisions.