Jeremy Lin not hopeful about NBA comeback

November 4, 2022

While fans have been clamoring for his NBA comeback for years, Jeremy Lin believes that a potential return is “no longer in the cards.”

The Taiwanese American athlete explained during an interview with The New York Times that even though he has “always had that hope” of returning to the NBA, he has “accepted all the challenges of all the front offices to go back” by competing at a high-enough level in the G League to warrant a contract. However, he believes that “it wasn’t enough.”

During his stint with the Santa Cruz Warriors for the 2020-2021 G League regular season, Lin averaged 19.8 points and 6.4 assists per game. He notably averaged the seventh highest points per game. However, Lin was reportedly the only one of the league’s top 10 scorers who did not receive a contract by the end of the season.

While Lin is currently competing overseas, having recently signed a deal with the Guangzhou Loong Lions, he is not so optimistic about an NBA comeback.

“That door seems to be pretty shut, and I feel like that was confirmed and double confirmed after what I had done in the G League and how well I had played and seeing that all the top scorers and all the top assist leaders all got contracts except for me,” Lin told The New York Times. “So, at that point, it was kind of like, there’s nothing else I could do.”

In October, HBO Max released “38 at the Garden,” a celebration of Lin’s iconic stint with the New York Knicks from 2011 to 2012. While Lin never had the opportunity to end his NBA career on his own terms, his performances during his time in the league left an indelible mark on his sport, his fans and the AAPI community.

Featured Image via Santa Cruz Warriors

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