In the world of basketball, representation has always mattered, but for Asian athletes, the spotlight has often been dim. The hardwood courts of North America have long lacked Asian visibility, leaving young players without many faces that inspire them. That’s why the rise of Xaivian Lee, the former Princeton guard, and his connection to Jeremy Lin carries so much weight. Together, their stories are helping reshape what basketball looks like, and who it’s for.
Lee, a quick and dynamic player from Toronto, became the rising force of the Ivy League. His vintage moments and spectacular highlights earned him a transfer to the defending national champion Florida Gators.
Lee’s ethnicity combines two diverse continents. His mother is originally from South Korea, and his father is a resident of Toronto, where Lee grew up. The short, 170-pound point guard never counted himself out. The Canadian understood that coaches would judge him differently, but he continued to pride himself on working hard, using the inspiration of his favorite Toronto Raptor, Fred VanVleet.
“Being doubted has kind of been like a common thing my entire life,” Lee said in an Essentially Sports article. “Every single level I’ve gone to, there’s always been doubts if I could play at this level and if I can get to the next level.”
Attempting to one day play Division I college basketball, Lee moved to Pennsburg, PA to attend the Perkiomen School. In that one year, he averaged 17.4 points per game with 4.7 assists. He led the school to its first-ever state title. The Canadian was also one of the best players in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, the most renowned Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball league in the country.
With those statistics and accolades, the normal player could get multiple Division I offers, some in the Power Five conferences. This was not the case for Lee, despite his growth to a height above six feet. His only offer was from the Princeton Tigers, and it came through a connection on his AAU team. Although the love from other teams wasn’t present, the Tigers loved Lee and Lee loved them.
“Oh my God. We need him right now,” Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson said in a Sportsnet article after watching Lee play. “He had all the stuff, everything you see now was there. The way he would flow through the game and his ability make things look simple and easy.”
As a freshman, he made an impact right away, but once again, his size prevented him from getting the starting role that he deserved. He still played in 32 games in his freshman year, helping the Tigers reach a miraculous Sweet 16.
Lee became a household name in his sophomore year. He began the season averaging 19.5 points per game, leading Princeton to its best start of the century. He played 29 games that season, starting all of them, while increasing his 3-point percentage by a full 10 percent. Almost all his numbers improved every year he stayed with the Tigers.
Following the 2023-2024 season, Lee sought out mentorship from one of the great Asian basketball names, Jeremy Lin. Linsanity, as people called him, shook the basketball world for a short period in 2012, when he had a historic rise into stardom.
His game-winning shot at the Air Canada Centre, now known as Scotiabank Arena, back on Feb. 14, 2012, against Lee’s beloved Raptors sent shockwaves around the hoop world. Lin, playing for the New York Knicks at the time, dribbled the clock down with the game tied and drained a game-winning three over the defending José Calderón. Lin glided confidently down the court, celebrating, and from there, Linsanity was born.
Lin had a similar college experience to Lee. His stats rose above many of the supreme high school talents in the country, and like Lee, Lin didn’t get the love he deserved because of his size and unique build. He had to send DVD highlights to Ivy League schools to convince one of them to take a shot on him. Harvard did, and the rest is history.
Lin’s presence brought many Asian fans to every game to fill up the Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, MA. He helped the Crimson to their best start in 25 years, achieving a program-best 21 wins during his senior season.
No team drafted Lin, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the star he knew he could be. He spent time on eight NBA teams, winning a championship in 2019 with Lee’s Raptors.
Lin and Lee spent time during the summer of 2024 working out together. Lee sees Lin as a mentor and a supporter of his NBA aspirations. Both have had to navigate the challenges of the sport as Asian athletes, making their connection especially meaningful.
After three years leading Princeton, Lee decided to enter the transfer portal and attempt to contribute to something bigger. Unlike the recruiting process, many teams gave Lee the respect he deserved this time around, receiving offers from Saint John’s, Kansas and Florida. All three had obvious pull, but Lee decided he wanted to be part of a Gator repeat effort.
“I think everyone has their own goals,” Lee said in a Daily Princetonian article. “For me, I’m chasing a larger goal.”
As Asian basketball fans around the world find a new star to support in the NBA, there seems to be a passing of the baton from Linsanity to Leesanity.
Zeke Altman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @EzekielAltman.
