Jeremy Lin took the basketball world by storm with his individual and team successes during the 2011-2012 NBA season. His New York Knicks team was struggling to start the season but turned his entire team around even without offensive juggernauts Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. In his 12 starts before the All-Star break, Lin averaged 22.5 points and 8.7 assists, and New York had a 9–3 record. His team and individual statistics cooled off after that, but it showed the sheer determination of Lin to succeed at the highest level.

Jeremy Lin was prepared to win games by practicing enough to be prepared. He prepared to be strong enough to fight off defenders by hitting the gym hard. He prepared to get the open look during the game by working on his footwork enough times. He prepared to drive by defenders by working on his ballhandling endlessly. He prepared to hit the game winning three pointer by shooting hundreds of times a game with the right arc. Bottom line: Jeremy Lin was READY for this. This was not an underdog story. This was not a Cinderella story because underdogs shine on one night and not multiple nights. Underdogs defy odds. Jeremy Lin pushed the odds in his favor every time he woke up at 6 AM to hit the gym. He increased his chances of winning with every shot he took, every squat he did, every sprint he ran. Jeremy Lin is no underdog. He is the real deal.

Take a look at the video below made exclusively by MuscleProdigyTV that shares his story, his emergence, and the preparation behind the scenes that elevated him into an elite athlete.