NEW YORK — So long, Linsanity.
Jeremy Lin, the Harvard graduate who became an overnight basketball and media sensation in February, is leaving the New York Knicks and heading west to play for the Houston Rockets.
"Extremely excited and honored to be a Houston Rocket again!!" Lin announced on Twitter shortly after midnight Wednesday.
The Knicks declined to match a $25.1 million, three-year deal from the Rockets, who briefly claimed Lin from the NBA's waivers in December 2011, multiple news sources reported. Lin did not play a regular-season game as a Rocket, and he was picked up by the Knicks soon after.
"Much love and thankfulness to the Knicks and New York for your support this year," Lin wrote on Twitter. "Easily the best year of my life #ForeverGrateful"
Lin lit up scoreboards and SportsCenter highlight reels in February and March, scoring in the double digits in all but four of the 27 games he played. An injury to Lin's left knee in March, which required surgery, benched him for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.
The Houston Rockets website blasted "He's back!" on its homepage, and invited fans to buy season tickets for when "the new excitement begins."
“We are thrilled to have Jeremy back as part of the Rockets family," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said in a press release. “Jeremy is a winner on and off the court and we view him as an important part of our plan to build a championship contender.”
