37-year-old Jeremy Lin announced his retirement on social media Weibo and Instagram, bringing an end to his 15-year professional basketball career. Photo: Screenshot from website
On Sunday, 37-year-old Jeremy Lin announced his retirement on social media Weibo and Instagram, bringing an end to his 15-year professional basketball career. “This is a ride I never wanted to end, but I know it’s time,” he said. “I will forever miss playing basketball in front of you all, but our time will go beyond just playing.”
Standing 1.91 meters tall, Lin played as a point guard and spent nine seasons in the NBA, suiting up for eight teams, including the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors.
He appeared in 480 regular-season games, averaging 25.5 minutes, 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, with a field goal percentage of 43.3 percent and a three-point shooting percentage of 34.2 percent, according to Zhibo8.
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away,” Lin said. “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.”
Reflecting on his journey, Lin wrote: “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. 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.”
Lin rose to global fame during his breakout run with the Knicks, leading the team to six straight victories and scoring a career-high 38 points in a single game.
In 2019, he became the first Asian American player to win an NBA championship as a member of the Toronto Raptors. Beyond the NBA, Lin also played in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the Beijing Ducks and Guangzhou Loong Lions, as well as for the New Taipei Kings in the Taiwan island.