Beijing (AFP)
Former NBA player Jeremy Lin, at the heart of an unprecedented media craze in 2012, said on Tuesday he was leaving the Beijing Ducks after a season in China to attempt a possible return to the American League. basketball.
“This decision was really the hardest of my life,” Lin said in a video posted to Chinese social media Weibo, addressing his seven million fans.
"Why was this decision so difficult? Yesterday, when I shared this with my family and friends, when I told them I should leave China, I cried," he said. he confided not without emotion.
The 32-year-old, the first Asian American to win the NBA championship, with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, signed in Beijing as an unrestricted free agent last year.
The full-back led the Ducks to the semi-finals of the Chinese Elite Basketball Championship (CBA) where they were eliminated by future champions, the Guangdong Tigers.
"In the end, although Shougang (the Ducks, editor's note) treated me incredibly well (...) by giving me everything I wanted, in the end, I have the feeling that I still have dreams NBA, ”continued the native of Torrence (Calif.).
During the CBA regular season, Lin averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Lin began his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors in 2010 before his heroic exploits with the New York Knicks in 2012 sparked a media frenzy dubbed "Linsanity."
Lin also wore the Houston (2012-14), Lakers (2014-15), Charlotte (2015-16), Brooklyn (2016-18), Atlanta (2018-19) and Toronto ( 2019).
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