Advertisement
Jeremy Lin outlines NBA return at his Beijing unveiling, but says he always wanted to play in the CBA
- Taiwanese-American meets the media at his official CBA unveiling
- NBA champion reported to earn US$3 million for a year-long stay in China
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Sitting onstage in front of a heaving media conference in Beijing’s lofty Shougang Arena on Thursday afternoon, there was a theme to Jeremy Lin’s highly anticipated first address to his new home press pack.
The 31-year-old mentioned the NBA several times in his opening remarks and outlined how he sees a stint in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) as a route back to his beloved NBA.
“I dreamed of playing in the NBA since I was a child,” said the former Toronto Raptor. “Although there is no NBA contract this year, I had invitations from many other leagues, and though my agent told me the fastest route back to the NBA was to play in Europe, I told myself years ago that I would definitely play in the CBA.”
Advertisement
After a very public scrapping following the NBA championship win back in June, Lin professed to have reached “rock bottom”. With no interest from the NBA, the California native broke down in tears during an interview in Taiwan and said he felt the league had “given up” on him.
Lin, whose later career has been ravaged by injury, made the shock announcement that he had signed on to play for the Beijing Ducks for the upcoming CBA season, and was set to net a reported US$3 million.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x