Sanzo, the Asian-inspired sparkling water brand, has teamed with Taiwanese-American NBA player Jeremy Lin to launch a collaborative can and flavor celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the cultural phenomenon known as “Linsanity.”
The term “Linsanity” came from a legendary stretch of games played by Jeremy Lin that took the NBA world by storm, highlighted by his performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in which he dropped 38 points and 7 assists.
This is the first pop cultural collaboration for Sanzo that not only pays tribute to Jeremy Lin’s NBA record-breaking success but also helps amplify Asian figures within the sports industry, many of whom have been overlooked due to racial bias and stereotypes.
An interesting and telling fact is that players of Asian descent only make up 0.5% of professionals in the NBA, WNBA and NFL combined while actually comprising 6% of the U.S. population at around 20 million people.
For the collaboration, Sanzo wanted to debut a brand new sparkling water flavor and one of the brand’s number one most requested, Asian Pear. Finding its origin in China and Japan, Asian Pears are sweet, crisp and mellow with a juicy bite. Like all Sanzo flavors, the limited time only ‘Linsanity’ Asian Pear is made using only real fruit with no added sugar, preservatives or artificial flavors.
“Working with Jeremy and his team has been a surreal experience,” said Sanzo founder and CEO Sandro Roco. “I grew up playing basketball and baseball and have been an avid sports fan my entire life. I’ve always appreciated the idea that if you could contribute to your team’s success, it should not matter what you look like or where you come from. Jeremy unfortunately had to face a lot of biases in a hyper-competitive league. But in doing so, he said to the entire world, especially the AAPI community, that no dream is too big to accomplish. We are so honored to be involved in another pivotal cultural moment for the AAPI community.”
The LTO cans celebrate Jeremy Lin with a design that was inspired by nostalgic NY-centric sports memorabilia reminiscent of childhood posters and trading cards. The best part is that all profits from the collaboration will be donated to the Jeremy Lin Foundation, which works to support the often overlooked AAPI community with programs that empower and contribute towards cross-racial solidarity.
“I am so, so excited to be teaming up with Sanzo on these custom cans,” said Jeremy Lin, philanthropist and NBA champion. “It has always been a dream of mine to be able to leave a mark on professional sports, and to be commemorated on a Sanzo can to celebrate the last decade of my basketball career is incredible. My basketball career has been one of proving myself over and over again, and I am hopeful that the next generation will have even more opportunities because of it. Aligning myself with a company like Sanzo that is dedicated to honoring the stories and flavors of Asian Americans is a huge deal for me. It is even more meaningful that proceeds from the cans are going to the Jeremy Lin Foundation, to support underserved AAPI youth.”
Available today for a limited time only, the LTO ‘Linsanity’ Asian Pear flavor comes in a twelve pack and can be found exclusively on drinksanzo.com and at select retailers.
