Jeremy Lin and Amar’e Stoudemire among former NBA teammates reuniting in Chinese Basketball Association

Jeremy Lin is the biggest draw for the Chinese Basketball Association, but with two non-Asian foreigners allowed on each CBA roster he is not the only one.

The 31-year-old is joined at the Beijing Shougang Ducks by Ekpe Udoh and Justin Hamilton, players he knows well from the NBA.

Lin was a rookie with Udoh at the Golden State Warriors in 2010 and was at the Brooklyn Nets with Hamilton during the 2016-17 season. In fact, there are plenty of familiar faces awaiting Lin this season.

He will meet Marko Todorovic, a man who was technically his teammate at the Houston Rockets, in his first game on Sunday. The Montenegrin centre never actually played an NBA minute for the Rockets, but he will suit up for the Tianjin Pioneers in the season opener.

Coming in to the CBA this season is six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudamire who has signed for the Fujian Sturgeons. The 36-year-old brings experience from his four-team 14-year NBA career, which burned brightest when he was at the Phoenix Suns. He has cut weight in recent years and was most recently seen at Israeli side Hapoel Jerusalem and the Big3 tournament earlier this year.

Lin was, of course, a teammate of Stoudamire at the New York Knicks during his “Linsanity” breakout period in 2012, with Stoudamire’s injury a key factor in why Lin became the focus of the team.

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Then Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni revealed that Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony refused to adapt their playing styles to accommodate the rise of Lin.

In 2016, he told ESPN podcast The Vertical that the pair were reluctant to change positions to play the system in which Lin thrived.

“Everyone wasn't a fan of [Lin] being the new star,” Stoudemire told the media when he recounted Linsanity in 2016, a comment that was widely regarded as a reference to their former teammate Anthony. He also appeared to show regret at the way it ended.

“So he didn't stay long. But Jeremy was a great, great guy. Great teammate. He worked hard. He put the work in and we're proud of him to have his moment. A lot of times you gotta enjoy someone's success. And that wasn't the case for us during that stretch.

“You got to enjoy that. You got to let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I don't think everybody was pleased with that.”

Lance Stephenson is another player who Lin has history with and is now in China. While Stephenson was on the Los Angeles Lakers last year, he tripped Lin, who was playing for the Atlanta Hawks before his move to the Toronto Raptors.

Stephenson has signed for Liaoning Flying Leopards and has impressed so far, being named the MVP at the recent Terrific 12 tournament in Macau. Lin has also played against Stephenson’s Leopards teammate Brandon Bass.

Lin was the one doing the hurting when he played against Sichuan Blue Whales star man Jerryd Bayless when the pair were in the NBA. Lin’s mohawk hairstyle caught the Milwaukee Bucks man in the face.

Across Beijing, Lin knows Royal Fighters signing Kyle Fogg from their time together at Houston and he knows Dominique Jones of the Jilin Northeast Tigers from their time on the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team in Las Vegas. The pair hit it off.

“I just say it’s unexpected and then he goes out there and does that, it blows away the basketball world,” Jones said back in the Linsanity days, ahead of his Dallas Mavericks team heading to play the Knicks in 2012.

“He’s a great guy. The whole story, people are just so happy to see that going on because he’s just such a good guy, just one of the best all-around people that I’ve met.”

Lin also played with Jones’ Tigers teammate Alex Poythress at the Atlanta Hawks, while Lin played with Shanghai Sharks’ Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas at the Rockets.

Elsewhere, Lin and Shandong Heroes man Isaiah Canaan were together at the Rockets when the latter was drafted in 2013 and he has shared the court with Canaan’s teammate Wayne Selden.

He is just one of the former NBA players in the CBA that Lin has played against, such as France’s Guerschon Yabusele who is at Nanjing Monkey Kings, Qingdao Doublestar Eagles pair Dakari Johnson and Kenny Boynton, and Chasson Randle, who he will renew acquaintances with on Sunday.