(CNN) -- In the last week, Jeremy Lin has gone from an unknown professional basketball player struggling to get time on court to an overnight sporting and media sensation. CNN takes a closer look at the first U.S.-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, and how he's becoming more popular with every game. 

Who is Jeremy Lin? 

Born to parents Shirley and Gie-Ming on August 23, 1988, Lin is an Asian-American NBA player for the New York Knicks. He wears the jersey No. 17 and plays as point guard. As a professional basketballer he's not overly tall, measuring 6 feet, 3 inches (191 centimeters) and weighs 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms). He played for four years at Harvard, and has spent just one year as a professional player. 

Career highlights: 

Following his stint at Harvard (where he was twice named to the all-Ivy League), Lin failed to get drafted by an NBA franchise, and instead signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors in July, 2010. In December 2011, Lin signed with the New York Knicks after being cut by the Houston Rockets. His 109 points in his first four starts this past week have surpassed Allen Iverson's to become the most by any player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. 

'Linsanity': Why the hype? 

Everyone loves a battle-against-the-odds story, and Lin fits the bill perfectly. The reasons for his meteoric rise to become a U.S. basketball sensation are numerous, but it all starts with talent. In just weeks he's gone from one-time bench-warmer to team savior, leading the Knicks to five straight victories and averaging more than 20 points per game, while his field goal percentage during this winning streak tops 50%. In Friday's game against Kobe Bryant's L.A. Lakers, he reeled off 38 points in that victory alone. 
What team does he play for now?
Lin signed with the New York Knicks