Jeremy Lin’s NBA dream seems over, so does he head back to the CBA or continue work with racism and mental health?

The Taiwanese-American, who shot to international stardom with the New York Knicks during ‘Linsanity’, now looks towards an uncertain future
His recent comments during an online conference hint he is now considering a return to the Chinese Basketball Association

Patrick Blennerhassett

Published: 10:00pm, 22 Apr 2021

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Sadly it appears Jeremy Lin’s NBA career is finally over.

After 10 seasons with eight teams, Lin has a lot to look back on. Alongside the massive pandemonium that was “Linsanity” during his time with the New York Knicks in the 2011-12 season, when Lin was, as he said, “the most popular person on the planet”, the Taiwanese-American has much to be proud of.

It all starts with the ring he won with the Toronto Raptors during the 2018-19 season. Lin didn’t play a lot that season, or much in the play-offs, but he got on the court and was part of the celebration as the Canadian franchise won its first Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

His statistics are more than respectable for what was a journeyman’s career: over 480 games he averaged 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists. His field goal percentage from beyond the arc was a respectable 34.2 per cent. Lin’s best season was with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2017-18 season where he averaged 18 points a game and was dishing out four assists.

Is Jeremy Lin headed back to the Beijing Ducks again? Photo: AFP

His career was marred by things that were mostly beyond his control: injuries, trades, apparent heat from fellow teammates. The most famous of this being the rumour Carmelo Anthony was jealous of Lin’s superstar status during “Linsanity” and pushed for him to be traded.

None of this was ever confirmed but it is a widely accepted theory as to why Lin found himself shipped off to the Houston Rockets the following season.

Which brings us to the even uglier side of Lin’s career: how his ethnicity ultimately hurt him as a player. Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was candid in a recent interview when he talked about why their franchise passed on Lin during the 2010 NBA Draft.

“He’s incredibly athletic,” said Morey during a Reddit Q&A. “But the reality is that every [expletive] person, including me, thought he was unathletic. And I can’t think of any reason for it other than he was Asian.”

Jeremy Lin hints at Asia return after NBA disappointment: ‘A strong part of my heart is going back and playing’

Lin said he’s experienced racism on the court as far back as when he was playing with his brother in the San Francisco Bay area as a kid, and that his sibling and him would be passed over because they were Asian.

This carried on into his college career at Harvard, and even resurfaced this past season while Lin was trying to stage an NBA comeback while playing for the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors.

Lin’s attempt at an NBA comeback this season with the Santa Cruz squad was valiant, but ultimately fell short.

Perhaps the fact he had to sit out multiple games with back issues, an injury that has plagued him most of his career, forced any NBA franchise to pass on the 32-year-old for the simple fact that there are younger, healthier players out there who could blossom into roster players.

While Lin’s NBA dream is likely over, his basketball career is most definitely not. The Chinese Basketball Association stands as an option, he played a full season with the Beijing Ducks during the 2019-20 season.

He was reportedly paid US$3 million and although Lin said his style of play is not as conducive to the CBA as it is to the NBA, he still put up good numbers, averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Lin stoked the rumour mill during a recent online conference, saying he may be considering a return to Asia to continue his career.

Jeremy Lin had a solid season in the NBA’s G League, but it appears it wasn’t enough to make a return to the NBA. Photo: Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

This past season in the G League he averaged 19.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists, however the chances of him getting offered another contract with the feeder league are slim to none. The only viable option left to him, outside of heading to a European league, is to return to the CBA.

He can still get picked up by an NBA team until May 17 (the last day of the regular season before the play-in tournament starts), but it appears that ship has now sailed given he’s not playing regularly and staying in game shape.

Lin’s other move is to walk away from basketball and lean into his ever-growing role as a spokesperson and philanthropist.

He has been outspoken on the horrible rise in racially motivated crimes directed towards Asians. He’s also spoken out on mental health, an issue he’s championed for years and one he’s had to face at points in his career.

Jeremy Lin: ‘Just need an opportunity,’ says NBA free agent

In a fairy tale world Lin would have been picked up by an NBA team this season, and made for a feel good story in a Covid-19-shortened campaign.

But professional sports is a ruthless business, and no amount of nostalgia outweighs the fact that Lin’s best days on the court are behind him. But this is simply the end of one chapter and the beginning of an entirely new one.

Lin could very well head back overseas to China for another season in the CBA, and it appears he may do that for another year, after he stated: “A strong part of my heart is going back and playing in Asia.”

His days in the NBA may be behind him, but Lin has an entirely new career to look forward to, another season in the CBA and a post-playing career where he can effect change directly related to issues he faced both on and off the court: racism and mental health.

His star power still burns bright, and he can hold court on issues close to his heart for years to come.