NBA Champion Shunned By The League Confirms Move

Jeremy Lin’s nine-year journey in the NBA has come to an end at least for the moment after the free agent point guard gave up on receiving any offers from NBA franchises to sign with the Beijing Shougang Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. The Chinese team confirmed the NBA champion’s arrival while Lin also wrote an emotional post about his journey in the NBA.

Lin, the first Asian-American player to ever win an NBA championship, became a sensation in the league during the 2011-12 season with the New York Knicks and created a global craze that was termed “Linsanity”. He spent last season between the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors with whom he won the 2019 NBA title despite playing just 27 minutes in the playoffs, which included one minute in the NBA Finals against Golden State Warriors, the team with whom he began his NBA career.

Lin always had a massive fan following for becoming one of the few Asian-American players to make it big in the NBA. He was hoping to generate more interest in free agency this summer and admitted that it felt like the NBA had “given up on him” after receiving no offers despite being just 31-years-old.

“All I can say is THANK YOU to the NBA, my family, inner circle, every fan who came to watch or rooted for me during these last 9 years! To challenge stereotypes, make history, rep Asians at the NBA level and pave the path as others have done for me has been an absolute privilege. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for each person who has been with me each step of the way,” Lin wrote on Instagram confirming his move to China.

“Equally excited for this next step with the Beijing Ducks! I always knew my path would go through the CBA solely because I knew how much of an honor it would be to hoop in front of all my Chinese fans. I’m here now and there is more history to be made!” he added.

Lin’s move to China does not necessarily mean his NBA career is over. He could still generate interest in the NBA with an impressive showing with the Beijing Ducks and with the Chinese basketball season ending in March, he could still join a team in the NBA for the latter half of the season if they are looking to add a veteran heading into the playoffs.