Just before the turn of the calendar from 2022 to 2023, former Golden State Warriors guard Jeremy Lin made a surprising move for a baller looking to “write a new chapter.” He walked away from his team and ventured back out into the basketball void.
Lin announced his decision to leave the CBA’s Guangzhou Loong Lions — who he just signed with over the summer — via Instagram and Weibo on December 28.
“After lots of consideration, I’ve decided to leave the CBA for this season,” Lin wrote. “It wasn’t an easy decision. I still love the game of basketball and look forward to getting back to the court one day.”
Now, one has to wonder what his next move will be. Despite an incredibly strong showing in the G League during the 2020-21 campaign, no NBA team was willing to take a flier on Lin. And time is usually not on the side of backcourt players in their mid-30s.
Jeremy Lin Has Been on a Bumpy Road Since His Show-Out Run With the Santa Cruz Warriors
Lin’s attempt to impress Association decision-makers as a member of the Sea Dubs couldn’t have gone much better from a sheer performance standpoint.
Between the playoffs and the regular season, he made 11 appearances for the team, averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 50.7% from the floor and 43.1% from deep.
When the NBA call didn’t come, however, he decided to return to China (where he had starred during the 2019-20 campaign). Through no fault of his own, that move didn’t bear the fruit Lin had anticipated. In addition to the total disruption caused in everyone’s life by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lin’s own bout with the virus had long-lasting effects .
“I’ve been feeling very tired — like I couldn’t breathe — so for me, going down this path might seem more difficult than others,” said Lin, who lost 20 pounds while in quarantine, in January of last year.
There was hope that the baller could rediscover some of his old magic with the Loong Lions this season. However, his debut with the club came well after the season had began, and Guangzhou’s coaches struggled to facilitate the former NBA star’s integration.
All told, he made just seven appearances for the club, averaging just 11.6 minutes per outing. In his Weibo announcement, Lin made it clear the he felt he was worthy of more minutes, but that he “respected the decisions made by the coaching staff.”
Lin Promises That a Decsion Is Coming
Over the weeks that have ensued since Lin made his exit, there have been no clues offered about his hardwood future. However, in addition to reaffirming his desire to still play, he promised that he would share his ultimate decision as soon as possible in his IG post.
“As for now, I’m gonna go back to the US to rest and reset before I make a decision with my family for my next step,” Lin wrote.
“In the past 3 years, it’s been really hard on me to not play basketball in front of the fans and I really really miss you all. When I have a decision, I will be sure to let everyone know. Much love”
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