After 15 seasons in pro basketball, a beloved longtime leading light in the NBA is calling it a career.
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Point guard Jeremy Lin, who most recently plied his trade for Taiwan’s New Taipei Kings, took to his Instagram to announce his retirement from the game.
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away,” Lin began. “I’ve spent my [15-year] career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made.”
The 6-foot-3 guard, a Palo Alto native, initially went undrafted out of Harvard before signing on with his hometown Golden City Warriors in the summer of 2010. With then-second-year point guard Stephen Curry and veteran scoring guard Monta Ellis soaking up more of the backcourt minutes, Lin played a fairly limited role with Golden State proper, appearing in just 29 games. In 9.8 minutes per, he averaged a scant 2.6 points, 1.4 assists, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and guard Jeremy Lin (17) react after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and guard Jeremy Lin (17) react after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina/Imagn Images
The Warriors waived Lin before the start of training camp for the subsequent 2011-12 season. He joined the Houston Rockets during the preseason, but was cut prior to the start of the year.
Lin was grabbed by the New York Knicks off waivers, but needed some injury luck — and some terrific play in the NBA‘s minor league, then called the D-League — to break into the club’s rotation.
After submitting a 25-point, seven-assist, five-rebound outburst during a 99-92 win against the New Jersey Nets in Feb., Lin was elevated to a starting role, and instantly led the Knicks on a seven-game win streak. In 25 healthy games with Lin as a starter to close out the year (he got hurt late), Lin averaged 18.2 points on .445/.343/.796 shooting splits, 7.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals a night. New York went 15-10 in those contests.
Lin’s phenomenal rise was dubbed “Linsanity,” and became such a big deal that it even made the cover of Time Magazine and eventually earned its own documentary.
Opposing defenses, who hadn’t game-planned for him prior to the season, were befuddled by his ability to drive and dish at a high level. Over time, his struggles going left became somewhat solvable.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to compete against the fiercest competitors under the brightest lights and to challenge what the world thought was possible for someone who looks like me,” Lin added. “I’ve lived out my wildest childhood dreams to play in front of fans all around the world. I will forever be the kid who felt fully alive [every time] I touched a basketball.”
The Houston Rockets stunningly stole Lin in restricted free agency that summer, inking him to a three-year, $25.1 million deal to play alongside new trade acquisition James Harden. Lin notched solid averages of 13.0 points while slashing .443/.348/.804, 5.2 dimes, 2.4 boards, and 1.3 swipes in his 153 regular season games for Houston (115 starts).
He was flipped to the lottery-bound Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2014-15 season. He next signed with the Charlotte Hornets in 2015-16, enjoying a solid campaign primarily as a reserve. He finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging 11.7 points while shooting .412/.336/.815, plus 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks. Charlotte notched a 48-34 record and pushed the Miami Heat to a hard-fought, seven-game first-round playoff series.
“So many people have sacrificed and poured into my journey, more than I could ever repay. Thank you all for believing in me, for walking with me, for celebrating my highs and picking me up in my lows,” Lin added. “This is a ride I never wanted to end but I know it’s time. I will forever miss playing basketball in front of you all but our time will go beyond just playing. Here’s to what’s ahead.”
Lin next inked a three-year, $36 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets, but health issues derailed his first two seasons with squad. He appeared in just 37 games between 2016-18. A strained left hamstring impeded his availability in 2016-17, and he ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee just one game into Brooklyn’s 2017-18 season.
The Nets traded Lin to the Atlanta Hawks in the summer of 2018, but he was eventually bought out in Feb. Looking to contend for a championship, Lin joined the Toronto Raptors off waivers. He was eventually squeezed out of the rotation in the playoffs, but did go on to win a title as the Kawhi Leonard-led club vanquished the injury-plagued Golden State Warriors in a six-game NBA Finals series.
After failing to latch on with a new NBA team that summer, Lin took his game abroad. He played for the CBA’s Beijing Ducks in 2019-20 and was named to an All-Star team. In 2020-21, Lin attempted an NBA comeback, suiting up for the Warriors’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, but did not ultimately return to Golden State proper.
Lin next rejoined the Ducks, then played (briefly) for rival the Guangzhou Loong Lions for the start of the 2022-23 season. Lin wrapped up his career in Taiwan, playing first for the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers to wrap up the 2022-23 season and finally for the New Taipei Kings from 2023-25.
Some big names instantly took to Lin’s Instagram to weigh in on his decision to return.
“You a living legend [for real]. Linsanity is forever! Enjoy this next phase of life fam ✊🏽,” wrote five-time All-Star Knicks center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns in the comments section.
“[You’ve] made an immeasurable impact on basketball, on [Asian American] representation, and on history,” added Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) star Simu Liu. “[Congratulations] on a fantastic career my brother!!! [It’s] been an honour to witness 🫡.”
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