Jeremy Lin: Erik Spoelstra and LeBron James Show Respect for Lin's Rise

It seems that anyone who is in any way involved with the NBA has an opinion on Jeremy Lin and his shocking turnaround of the New York Knicks.

Count Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and star LeBron James as two of his biggest supporters.

According to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN, the two respect Lin for overcoming adversity and appreciate his story. Spoelstra has even more of a reason to tip his cap to Lin.

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"…Being an Asian-American, it's great to see him break some barriers," said Spoelstra, who has described himself as half Filipino. "As a fan of the game, I root for him. It's a great sports story, in general."

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The barriers Spoelstra is referencing include Lin becoming the first Asian-American to start a game since the league started keeping logs decades ago. He’s one of the extremely few people to attend an Ivy League school and play professional basketball.

Lin has also set an NBA record for most points by any player starting their first four games in the league.

LeBron James has certainly noticed the “Linsanity” and respects it.

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“He's playing and they're winning," James said. "I've heard about how he's staying with a friend, and about his getting cut and being a week away from not knowing if he was going to stick with the team, about how (the Knicks) might release him to sign Mike James.”

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James is talking about how Lin reportedly sleeps on Landry Fields' couch and a rumor that the team was looking to cut Lin and bring in Mike James, a player who hasn’t been relevant since the 2005-06 season.

LeBron also noted that he’s pulling for the young star, except on one occasion.

"Best of luck to him," James said. "I don't want him to be good when (the Knicks) are playing us, but other than that, good for him.”

The Knicks travel to Toronto on Tuesday night for another road game before returning home for an extended stretch.

Don’t expect the Linsanity to die down anytime soon, and it could reach a tipping point on Feb. 23, when the Knicks and Heat square off on national television.