Knicks fans sign petition by the thousands to keep Jeremy Lin in New York

Fans are petitioning the Knicks management to keep Jeremy Lin in New York. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Nearly 13,000 people have signed an online petition aiming to keep Jeremy Lin in New York to play for the Knicks instead of moving to Texas to play for the Houston Rockets, according to the petition at Change.org:

Jeremy Lin is the best thing that has happened to New York Knicks basketball in the last 20 years. [H]e's the one player the New York Knicks need to keep, not lose.  Don't let Jeremy Lin go - match the Rockets' offer.

The petition, created by a member with the user name, "I am Linsane," is addressed to "New York Knicks Management" and was created on July 15. Signatures of the petition to keep Lin on the Knicks are from people from around the world.

According to Change.org, the mission of the site is to "build an international network of people empowered to fight for what's right locally, nationally, and globally." Among its tens of thousands of petitions are calls to "stop online puppy mills" and to "end abuse of autistic students."