The 2019-20 CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) season came to an end with Guangdong's victory over Liaoning in the finals on August 20. The Beijing Ducks of which Christian celebrity Jeremy Lin is a foreign player, lost to Guangdong Southern Tigers during the semi-finals.
In the Asia-Basketball’s All-Star Team, Yi Jianlian and Lin were selected on the first team, with Lin as the best guard. It was his first season in the CBA, and it remains to be seen whether he will play in the new season as a foreign player.
As the second-oldest member of the Beijing Ducks, Lin often took care of his teammates on and off the court like a parent. For example, off the court, Lin organized talent shows, purchased delicious snacks, and gave big red packets of money to champions. He often took his teammates to shoot funny videos to create a team atmosphere. Lin considered his season at Shougang as being part of a warm family in which he had been care of.
Although he is no stranger to professional basketball, Lin was a newcomer in the CBA, especially when he had to adapt to the defense of rivals, intentionally or unintentionally.
In previous interviews, Lin said he didn't want to talk about rivals' defense too much, and he respects each team's defensive approach. He felt grateful to be healthy all season. He said: "Nothing can stop injuries and I am very lucky to have been able to finish this long season. If I stayed in the CBA, I would change a lot of things. My style of playing and my understanding of the CBA culture, especially on the offensive side of the ball, are very different from the NBA. I learned a lot of details. If I play for the second year, it will be much better than the first year."
In addition, during the busy and difficult season, Lin did not forget the public good. At the start of the season, Lin unveiled his "3-pointer plan" -- donating 3,000 yuan for each 3-pointer he made during the regular season. In the playoffs, he announced a seven-fold increase in donations to show more love. In his whole season, Lin hit 52 3-pointers in 43 games and donated a total of 315,000 yuan, of which126,000 yuan was from the playoffs. He also said his funding plans would help more children of migrant workers.
On August 16, Lin shared on Weibo his gratitude and what the CBA season brought to him. "I looked back on the 12 months in China while I was on the plane," he said. “About seven years ago, I had a dream to play in the CBA. And the only one reason to do this is to play basketball in front of all the Chinese fans. At the end of the CBA season, I have to be honest that your support far exceeded my expectations. It has been a very interesting year, and although it was a bit disappointing at the end of the season, I return to America today with a thankful heart."
He added, "I'm not very good at expressing feelings, but I just want to say thank you and I love you. I hope that by watching me play this year, you can see what my parents taught me from a young age. Do your best and trust God to do the rest! This year’s epidemic is an unexpected tragedy, but we need to move on, and I pray that we can all use the attitude toward life that my parents taught me.”
"We usually say “Goodbye” at parting, but I'd rather say “See you” this time.
- Translated by Zoe Hon
