On Feb. 4, 2012, the New York Knicks were sitting at 8–15 after their first month of play. At the time, the Knicks were in a downward spiral having lost 11 of their last 13 games. The Knicks welcomed the New Jersey Nets to town with hopes of righting the ship. On that night, head coach Mike D’Antoni turned to his bench for a spark. The rest was history.

The Knicks went on to defeat the Nets 99–92, but that was not the headline. The headline was Jeremy Lin. After logging just 55 minutes the whole season, the 6’3 point guard saw 36 minutes of action against the Nets during which he scored 25 points and dished out seven assists. Many saw this performance as a one-hit wonder, but this was just the beginning. Two days later, Lin dropped 28 points against the Utah Jazz. Two days after that, it was 23 more against the Wizards.

After rattling off three straight wins, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers made the cross country trip to Madison Square Garden for a primetime matchup with the Knicks. A matchup against one of the greats at a sold-out MSG would determine whether or not Lin was here to stay. Legend has it that the term “Linsanity” was born that night-, a night Knicks fans will never forget. A night where Lin scored 38 points en route to a 92–85 defeat of the Lakers. Lin was no longer a feel-good story, he was now a national phenomenon.

The Knicks began piling on wins in dramatic fashion. A few days after the thriller at MSG, Lin buried a three at the buzzer to down the Toronto Raptors. Lin’s historic play led the Knicks to a 10–3 record through the month of February during which he averaged 20.9 points and 8.4 assists per game. Lin captivated New York City. His jerseys were selling off the hook. The Garden was packed. He brought a fan base that hadn’t experienced excitement in a while to life. 

Unfortunately, every good thing must come to an end. Carmelo Anthony’s return and the Mike D’Antoni’s resignation were the end of the road for Lin in the Big Apple. Even though Lin’s time in New York had ended, his career in the NBA was just beginning. Lin spent 10 seasons in the NBA. During that span, he averaged 11.6 points per game. The high point of his 10-year career will always be February 2012. A month that changed his life and the lives of Knicks fans forever.

To this day, the Knicks are still searching for another player to captivate the city the way Lin did. A player that gets Knicks fans to believe again. A player that will ultimately bring a championship to a team that hasn’t won one in 48 years.