The film traces Lin's life from his childhood in Palo Alto, California to his rise to prominence in 2012 with the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

[4] Leong had filmed Lin since he was a star college basketball player at Harvard University and during his early struggles in the NBA.

[2][5] The Los Angeles Times wrote that it received a "rousing response, easily making it one of the most crowd-pleasing documentaries to play the festival this year.

Stephen Stanley of Ketchup negotiated the deal with Nick Ogiony and Dan Steinman of CAA, Gregory Schenz at Endgame Entertainment and Helen Dooley at Williams & Connolly.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Linsanity offers a compelling enough look at its basketball star subject for fans and curious viewers, even if it never really delves below the surface.