Jeremy Lin Quits the Beijing Ducks After Just One Year to Rekindle His NBA Dreams

Just a little over a year after signing with the Beijing Shougang Ducks, basketballer Jeremy Lin has announced that he is returning to the US to rekindle his dream of making it in the NBA.

Lin made the announcement on Sep 15, by taking to Weibo, as he has regularly done throughout the season. In the two-minute video, he states that despite the honor of being given the opportunity to play in Beijing, he still has "an NBA dream," adding that he had cried when he told his family about his intentions to leave.

Lin, now 32, departs the CBA after a tumultuous season defined by stoppages caused by the coronavirus and fourth-place finish in the 2019-2020 league. Last month, the Ducks were ousted by the Guangdong Southern Tigers in a dramatic semi-final playoff, when with just seconds left, a three-pointer attempt from Lin that would have kept the Ducks in the game, narrowly ricocheted off the rim. Lin ended the season with 43 appearances, averaging 22.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.9 steals.

After having experienced an early career-defining "Linsanity" stint for the New York Knicks back in 2012, Lin went on to play for the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors. With the latter, Lin would become the first-ever Asian-American player to win the NBA title, despite only playing a minor role.

Expressing his frustration with being unable to sign a renewed contract in the NBA, he opted to try his luck in China and signed with the Ducks in August 2019 as an unrestricted free agent for a reported USD 3 million (RMB 22 million).

As a Taiwanese-American, Lin further embraced his Asian identity once in China, treating his time in Beijing as a homecoming of sorts, and expressing gratitude to his fans and team throughout.

Lin's tenure at the Ducks also lent the squad international star power that it hadn't seen since superstar Stephon Marbury retired from the team in 2017.

Despite his short stint in Beijing, the love that Lin has garnered among his fans is readily apparent, with the highest rated comment on his Weibo departure video simply reading, "I support you, brother. Jia you."

READ: Beijing Ducks Knocked Out of CBA Finals

Images: Eurohoops, Weibo