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Jeremy Lin in action for the Beijing Ducks against the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the 2019-20 Chinese Basketball Association play-offs. Photo: Xinhua
SportChina

No NBA as Jeremy Lin to return to Beijing Ducks next month: report

  • Chinese Basketball Association comeback could happen soon, with second stage of season ending on February 4
  • ‘Linsanity’ star’s signing for the Golden State Warriors reportedly fell apart after team failed to get paperwork from China
Jeremy Lin
Jonathan White
Jonathan White
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NBA free agent Jeremy Lin is willing to return to the Chinese Basketball Association’s Beijing Shougang Ducks as soon as next month, according to a report in China.

Chinese basketball reporter Jia Lei revealed that Lin, who played for the Ducks last season after receiving no offers in 2019 NBA free agency following his championship win with the Toronto Raptors, could soon be back in China’s capital.

“In a recent communication with Shougang, Lin said, if he can, he is willing to join Beijing and return to the CBA after the end of the second phase of the CBA,” Jia wrote on Weibo on Tuesday. He also used the hashtag “Lin Shuhao is ready to join Shougang again”, using Lin’s Chinese name.

The CBA is once again being played in a bubble, with teams based in Zhuji, Zhejiang province. The second stage of the season is set to end on February 4 before the league takes its Lunar New Year break.

01:19

Jeremy Lin says he has realised his childhood dream in China

Jeremy Lin says he has realised his childhood dream in China

The “Linsanity” star had been linked with a return to the NBA ahead of the new season, which began on December 22. The 32-year-old announced it was his intention to return to the league after he finished his season with the Ducks, a decision he described as “the hardest in my life”.

A return to the NBA has not yet materialised, with reports suggesting that the chance to return to the Golden State Warriors, where the Bay Area native began his career, fell apart because the NBA team were unable to get the requisite paperwork from the Beijing team.

Covid-19, Donald Trump and an NBA dream – Jeremy Lin’s 2020

Last month Lin said that a return to the CBA was on the table when a fan urged him not to go back to China.

“Big decisions coming up soon but that’s an option on the table for sure,” Lin told the fan in a reply on Instagram.

The Ducks, who have struggled in his absence and have a 10-14 record, have reportedly asked him to return on several occasions since he left Beijing. After going to the semi-finals of the play-offs last season they sit 14th on the 19-team standings.

Beijing Ducks urging Jeremy Lin to give up on NBA, return to China

Lin’s popularity in China skyrocketed during his time in the CBA, with the former New York Knicks star having the largest Chinese social media following out of any basketball player in either the NBA or CBA.

On Monday, Lin posted more photographs of him in action to his Weibo account.

“Tie up your shoelaces, step on the court, and play your own basketball,” he wrote.

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