Obama Catches ‘Linsanity’ Watching Highlights of Knicks Player

There’s no escaping Linsanity, even at the White House.

President Barack Obama talked about New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin with his staff as he set out on a trip to an event in Wisconsin this morning, White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

Lin sank a 3-point shot in the final second of last night’s game, giving the Knicks a victory over the Toronto Raptors. It was the team’s sixth straight win.

Obama, an avid basketball fan and recreational player, watched highlights of the game, and Carney described the president as “very impressed.”

Lin wasn’t drafted after graduating from Harvard University and had been a bench player in New York until this month. The frenzy surrounding the player has been dubbed Linsanity.

“It’s just a great story, and the president was saying as much this morning,” Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One. “It’s obviously terrific for the New York Knicks, but it’s the kind of sports story that transcends the sport itself.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Kate Andersen Brower in Aboard Air Force One at kandersen7@bloomberg.net; Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steven Komarow at skomarow1@bloomberg.net