Lin was invited by the league to take part in next weekend's Sprite slam-dunk competition during NBA All-Star weekend in Orlando, according to league sources. The second-year point guard is expected to assist Knicks' teammate Iman Shumpert, who was announced as one of the four dunk contest participants on Thursday.
According to Marcus Spears of Yahoo Sports, Lin has also been added to the weekend's Rookie-Sophomore game along with Miami Heat guard Norris Cole. Not only a sign of his meteoric rise over the past few week, Lin's participation in the game will allow him to join Shumpert for the dunk contest.
Making Lin part of the weekend will surely get the NBA some more attention within the country but it would expectedly increase the viewers internationally as well, with people in both Taiwan and China swooning over the talented Harvard graduate.
As for the dunk contest, Lin and Shumpert will have some competition to work with as Indiana Pacers Paul George, Houston Rockets forward Chase Budinger and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams are also set to participate.
The dunk contest will also feature set a new set of rules this year. There will be only one round of dunking and the four competitors, who are all first timers, will each get three dunks a piece. The winner will be determined solely by fan voting.
Check out the Tweet below from Spears about Lin's addition to the Rookie-Sophomore Game.
