With Jeremy Lin’s departure from the Guangzhou Loong Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association, the speculation has intensified that the Taiwanese American is headed to play in Taiwan.
Numerous reports in Taiwan media have Lin potentially signing with the Kaohsiung Steelers in Taiwan’s P.League+.
While the Steelers aren’t commenting on those reports, other teams in the league say they hope it happens.
“I hope he comes to us to be honest,” Taichung Suns head coach Chris Gavina told CNA Friday. “If we were able to bring a person of the stature of Jeremy Lin here, the excitement at our games would even triple compared to what it’s now.”
According to the Taipei Times, the Steelers are looking to shake things up after going winless in 12 games. Earlier this month, the team signed former NBA player Viacheslav Kravtsov, bringing to three the number of imported players it signed. That’s the maximum allowed under league rules, but it’s unclear if Lin would count as an imported or local player.
“If there is any practical way to improve our performance, we will definitely all strive to achieve it, said Steelers general manager Kenny Kao.
As early as three weeks ago, rumors began percolating Lin would leave the Lions in favor of Taiwan. A report on Dec 7 on Taiwan News indicated the Instagram account Midnight Sport posted a photo of Lin with the caption “coming soon.”
In his post announcing his departure, Lin detailed the reason for his decision.
“Everyone knows that I don’t have much playing time this season. As a player, I definitely feel that I should play more, but I also respect the decision of the coaching staff,” Lin said.“Everyone knows that I don’t have much playing time this season. As a player, I definitely feel that I should play more, but I also respect the decision of the coaching staff,” Lin said, according to the South China Morning Post.
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