Every “Linsanity” Run in NBA History: The League’s Most Electrifying Hot Streaks
Every NBA season brings its share of drama, but nothing compares to the phenomenon known as a “Linsanity” run—a period, sometimes a week, sometimes a month, when a previously unheralded player catches fire and becomes the biggest story in basketball. These moments are rare, unpredictable, and unforgettable. They remind us why we love sports: for the possibility that, on any given night, anyone can become a legend.
From Mike James’ year-long heat check to Jeremy Lin’s iconic three weeks in New York, here’s a deep dive into every Linsanity run in NBA history—explained, ranked, and celebrated.
11. Mike James: The Amityville Scorer’s Year of Fire
Most Linsanity runs last a few games. Mike James stretched his into an entire season. In 2005-06, the Toronto Raptors were a mess—Vince Carter was gone, Chris Bosh was still finding his way, and the team finished 27-55. Enter James, a 30-year-old journeyman who had played for four teams in four years and was undrafted.
Something clicked. James averaged 20.3 points per game, shot 44% from three, and put up monster games—39 against Detroit, 38 versus Philadelphia, 36 against New Jersey. He dubbed himself the “Amityville Scorer,” took wild shots, and buried them. For one year, he was appointment television, the only undrafted player in NBA history at the time to average 20 points for a season.
The clock struck midnight: James signed with Minnesota, dropped to 10 points per game, and bounced around six more teams before retiring. But for that one year in Toronto, he was a flamethrower—Dame Lillard before Dame Lillard.
10. Flip Murray: The Month in Seattle
In 2003, the Seattle SuperSonics faced an early crisis. Ray Allen was injured, and the team needed a shooting guard. They turned to Ronald “Flip” Murray, a Division II product who had played just 26 NBA minutes the previous season.
Murray exploded out of nowhere: 24 points in the opener, 22 two nights later, then a string of games with 29, 31, and more. For the first month, he averaged 23.4 points per game over 11 games, dazzling with slippery moves and streetball flair. Sports Illustrated asked if he was the next big thing.
Then Ray Allen returned, Murray went to the bench, and the magic faded. He played seven more seasons as a role player, but for four weeks, Flip Murray was the world’s best shooting guard.
9. Sundiata Gaines: The 10-Day Buzzer Beater
The shortest run on the list, but perhaps the highest “aura per minute.” January 2010, the Utah Jazz were desperate, signing D-League guard Sundiata Gaines to a 10-day contract. Five days in, the Jazz faced LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Gaines, a total unknown, scored nine points in 21 minutes and played tough defense.
With five seconds left and the Jazz down two, the ball was knocked loose and ended up in Gaines’ hands. He pulled up from 24 feet—buzzer beater, game-winner, immortality. The crowd erupted; LeBron looked stunned. Gaines signed for the rest of the season but never made a major NBA impact. He played 32 games for the Jazz, but that one shot made him a legend.
8. Andre Ingram: The 32-Year-Old Rookie
Andre Ingram’s story is pure emotion. After 10 years and nearly 400 games in the G-League, tutoring kids in math to pay rent, Ingram finally got his NBA call-up at age 32. The Lakers, out of playoff contention, brought him in for a meaningless April game against the Houston Rockets.
Ingram went nuclear: he hit his first shot, then a three, then another. By the fourth quarter, the Staples Center crowd was chanting “MVP.” He finished with 19 points on 4-of-5 from deep. Chris Paul stayed after the game to congratulate him. Ingram played one more game before returning to the G-League, but that night was the payoff for a decade of grind—a Linsanity run for the ages.
7. Lester Hudson: The King of Cleveland (for Three Weeks)
The 2012 Cavaliers were a tragedy: LeBron was in Miami, Kyrie Irving kept getting hurt, and the team was tanking. Enter Lester Hudson, a shooting guard signed late in the season. For three weeks, Hudson became the ghost of Michael Jordan, scoring 26, 19, 19, 25, 23, and 23 points in consecutive games.
He averaged 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists during the stretch, hitting step-back threes and finishing through contact. Cavs fans started bringing “Lester-sanity” signs to games. Hudson’s scoring was so hot it threatened the team’s tank. He wasn’t re-signed, but he found stardom in China, winning MVPs and titles in the CBA. For three weeks in Ohio, he was king.
6. Michael Carter-Williams: The Greatest Debut Ever
Most Linsanity runs happen mid-season. MCW’s arrived on opening night. October 30, 2013, the Sixers—predicted to be the worst team in NBA history—started rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams against the defending champion Miami Heat.
MCW was everywhere: 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, and nine steals against LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. The Sixers won, and the arena melted down. For a week, MCW was the best player in the league. He won Rookie of the Year, but never reached those heights again. His jump shot broke, he became a role player, but his peak was insane.
5. Yogi Ferrell: Yogi Mania in Dallas
In 2017, the Mavericks were desperate for a point guard and called up Yogi Ferrell from the D-League on a 10-day contract. Ferrell, undrafted and undersized, had been cut by Brooklyn earlier that season.
He started with nine points, then 19, then went berserk against Portland—nine threes and 32 points. He drilled a game-winning dagger and averaged 17 points and five assists over his contract. Mark Cuban signed him immediately. “Yogi Mania” shirts were printed, and Ferrell stuck around the league for a few years. For two weeks, he was the most exciting little man in basketball.
4. Cam Thomas: The Brooklyn Heat Check
The most recent Linsanity run came in February 2023. The Nets were collapsing—Kyrie Irving traded, Kevin Durant waiting to be dealt, and the roster depleted. Second-year guard Cam Thomas looked around and said, “I guess I’ll shoot.”
He dropped 44 on the Wizards, 47 on the Clippers, and 43 on the Suns—three straight games of 40-plus points, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to do so. He averaged 44.7 points over the stretch, scoring with pure, uncut confidence. Once the Nets traded for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, Thomas returned to the bench. For three days, Cam Thomas was one of the best scorers in NBA history.
3. TJ Warren: Bubble Bird
The Orlando bubble was a strange, fanless world, but TJ Warren turned it into his personal playground. Normally a solid scorer for Indiana, Warren erupted in the bubble restart: 53 points against the Sixers, then 34, 32, and 39 in the next three games.
Over eight seeding games, he averaged 31 points on 52% shooting from three. His mid-range floater was automatic, and he mocked defenders and blew kisses to virtual fans. The playoffs cooled him off, and injuries derailed his career, but “Bubble TJ Warren” remains a mythical creature in NBA lore.
2. Billy Ray Bates: The Original Streetball Legend
Long before social media, Billy Ray Bates was the NBA’s first supernova. Playing for the Maine Lumberjacks in the CBA, Bates was discovered by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1980. He was 6’4”, built like a linebacker, and could jump out of the gym.
He won Player of the Week immediately and became a playoff legend: 25 points per game in 1980, 28.3 in 1981, averaging 26.7 in his brief postseason career. He dunked on Kareem and was unstoppable, but personal demons ended his NBA career early. He became a legend in the Philippines, but for two postseasons, there was nobody more electric.
1. Jeremy Lin: The Linsanity Prototype
No list of Linsanity runs is complete without the original. In February 2012, the New York Knicks were a disaster—8-15, with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire injured and coach Mike D’Antoni on the hot seat. Jeremy Lin, sleeping on his brother’s couch, was the 15th man on the roster.
Lin got his chance and exploded: 25 points and seven assists against the Nets, then 28 and eight against Utah, 23 and 10 versus the Wizards. The Knicks kept winning. The media swarmed. Against the Lakers, Kobe Bryant said, “I don’t even know what he’s done.” Lin dropped 38 on Kobe’s head as Madison Square Garden shook.
On February 14th in Toronto, Lin hit a game-winning three, and the Knicks won their seventh straight. For three weeks, Lin averaged 26.8 points and 8.5 assists, and became one of the most famous athletes on earth. He graced the cover of Time Asia and inspired millions as an Asian-American Harvard grad dominating basketball’s brightest stage.
The run ended when Carmelo returned, chemistry shifted, and Lin got hurt. He moved to Houston and later won a ring in Toronto as a backup. But for three weeks in February 2012, Jeremy Lin delivered the greatest individual regular season run in NBA history—not just for the stats, but for the story.
Conclusion: The Enduring Magic of Linsanity
Linsanity runs are the NBA’s lightning in a bottle—moments when the underdog becomes a hero and the impossible feels real. Whether it’s a 10-day contract, a bubble restart, or a rookie’s debut, these streaks capture the league’s spirit of hope and unpredictability.
They don’t last forever, and the stars often fade, but for a brief time, they remind us why we watch. Because in the NBA, anyone can be a legend—if only for a night, a week, or a month.
