Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- The NBA 's latest on-court sensation has appealed for space to be given to his relatives in Taiwan . New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin issued the request in a post-game interview after starring in his team 's dramatic 104-97 win over defending NBA champions , the Dallas Mavericks . `` Obviously , I love my family , I love my relatives , '' Lin said . `` One special request I have is for the media back in Taiwan to kind of give them their space because they ca n't even go to work without being bombarded , and people following them . And so , I just want people to respect the privacy of my relatives in Taiwan . ... They need to live their lives as well . '' The story of the Los Angeles-born star 's rise from obscurity to sudden superstar has captivated Taiwan -- home to his grandmother and birthplace of Lin 's parents -- and mainland China , which also claims to be his roots . There is even debate among his fans about who Lin should represent at the Olympic Games in London this summer . Read more about Jeremy 'Lin-demand ' in China . Lin , whose name in Mandarin is `` Lin Shuhao , '' is the NBA 's first U.S. player of Taiwan or Chinese descent . Not since Yao Ming , the now-retired Houston Rockets center and now owner of the Chinese Basketball Association 's Shanghai Sharks , has a basketball player of Asian roots sparked so much interest . Lin 's Sina Weibo account has nearly 2 million followers ; on Twitter , he has about nearly 470,000 -- at last count . On February 13 , as a hashtag with his name took over Twitter and New York amid a fourth consecutive win in his fourth start , Lin filed to trademark `` LINSANITY . '' His filing was n't the first ; two other Californian men -- whose names are n't Lin ; one is Slayton -- beat him by days . ( By contrast just last month before his first start as a Knick , Lin had posted on Facebook , `` Everytime i ( sic ) try to get into Madison Square Garden , the security guards ask me if im a trainer LOL . '' ) Sunday was a far different story : Lin was the Knicks ' top scorer of the game with 28 points and a career-high 14 assists . The team took its eighth win in nine games and ended the Mavericks ' six-game winning streak . The game also marked the Knicks debut for J.R. Smith , who scored 15 points in his first return to NBA action after playing for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Chinese Basketball Association during the more than five-month NBA lockout . Although the lockout ended in December , Smith was cleared to play for the NBA only after his team ended its season . At the Sunday press conference , Lin also addressed the controversy surrounding three incidents of an ethnic slur by ESPN , which on Sunday fired an employee behind an offensive headline on its mobile website and suspended for 30 days an anchor who also used it . A third incident on Friday involved a radio commentator who is not an ESPN employee , the sports entertainment company said . `` I do n't think it was on purpose , '' Lin said . `` At the same time , they 've apologized . I do n't care anymore . ''
The U.S.-born star 's rise from obscurity has captivated Taiwan , mainland China . Not since Yao Ming has a basketball player of Asian roots sparked so much interest . Only last month Lin had posted on Facebook that he was mistaken for a trainer . Lin accepts ESPN 's apology for repeated incidents of an ethnic slur .