Coach Erik Spoelstra, LeBron James impressed with Jeremy Lin’s ascent – ESPN

ATLANTA — When Erik Spoelstra was chosen by the Miami Heat to succeed Pat Riley in 2008, he made history as the first Asian-American coach in the four major North American sports leagues.

Although he has seen only highlights of Jeremy Lin since the New York Knicks point guard took the league by storm over the past week, Spoelstra expressed a measure of pride on Sunday over what Lin has accomplished as the first Asian-American to start an NBA game since the league began keeping records of starting lineups decades ago.

“Also 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.”

Since Feb. 4, Lin has averaged 26.8 points and eight assists on a true shooting percentage of 58 percent. The 13-15 Knicks have won all four games Lin has started…

via Erik Spoelstra, LeBron James impressed with Jeremy Lin’s ascent – ESPN.