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(FILES) This file photo taken on Aug. 4, 2020 shows Jeremy Lin of the Beijing Ducks dribbling the ball during the China Basketball Association (CBA) game between the Beijing Ducks and the South Guangdong Tigers. . (Photo by STR / AFP)
Jeremy Lin said Tuesday that he will be leaving the Beijing Ducks after a season in China and that he wants to return to the NBA, where he unleashed the 2012 “Linsanity” craze.
The 32-year-old point guard, who as a player for the Toronto Raptors in 2019 became the first Asian-American to win an NBA championship, signed with Beijing as an unrestricted free agent last year.
Lin helped Beijing reach the semifinals of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league, where they were outscored by eventual champions Guangdong Southern Tigers.
“This decision has really been the hardest of my life,” Lin, who has complained about the rude treatment he received at the CBA, said to his seven million followers in a Weibo video similar to Twitter.
“Every morning I would wake up at 4:00 am or 5:00 am, thinking, thinking and thinking all the time.
“In the end, even though Shougang (the Ducks) has treated me incredibly well… giving me everything I wanted, in the end, I feel like I still have NBA dreams.
“I still have time to play (there) and I have to pursue this.”
Lin began his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors in 2010 before his heroics with the New York Knicks in 2012 sparked a frenzy that was dubbed “Linsanity.”
He went on to play for several other NBA teams, but has struggled with injuries in recent seasons.
Despite this, he enjoyed a successful stay in China, where the CBA was suspended for almost five months due to the coronavirus.
Lin averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game during the regular season.
“I know a lot of my fans supported me regardless of whether I was injured,” he said in the video.
“Why was this decision so difficult? Yesterday, when I shared this with my family and friends, when I told them that I would have to leave China, I cried. “
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