No career lasts forever, and for former NBA guard Jeremy Lin, the time is now to step down from his basketball journey. In a candid and heartfelt post on Instagram, he revealed the news to fans, which sparked hundreds of reactions from all around the world.
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away,” wrote Lin. “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.”
Lin has been out of the NBA since 2019, but he’s played professionally for the Beijing Ducks, Santa Cruz Warriors, Guangzhou Loong Lions, and New Taipei Kings, where he won championships in 2024 and 2025.
“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,” added Lin. “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.”
Of course, Lin will always be remembered for his time in the NBA, where he had stints for the Warriors, Knicks, Rockets, Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks, and Raptors.
“So many people have sacrificed and poured into my journey, more than I could ever repay,” wrote Lin. “Thank you all for believing in me, for walking with me, for celebrating my highs and picking me up in my lows. 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.”
As a Taiwanese-American, Lin (who went undrafted) was a fan-favorite across Asia, and he helped spread the love of the game in Taiwan like nobody else had before. While his time in the NBA was relatively short, he made a big impact on the game and has a lot to be proud of about his basketball journey.
His crowning moment in the NBA was with the Knicks during the 2011-12 season. In one of the most legendary heat checks in NBA history, Lin played an 11-game stretch of sheer greatness when he averaged 23.9 points and 9.2 assists per game to help the Knicks to a 9-2 record. It was dubbed “Linsanity” for the sheer shock of the moment, and it forever marked his place in NBA history.
Lin went on to average 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game that season, including a career-high performance against the Lakers, where he dropped 38 points at Madison Square Garden. Sadly, Lin eventually cooled down, and his role was reduced greatly when Carmelo Anthony returned later that season. The Knicks only finished seventh in the East at 36-30, and Lin never returned after just 35 games with the team.
Of course, Jeremy Lin went on to play for many more years in the NBA, and he found good roles on other teams before eventually making his way overseas. Today, his career will always be remembered as legendary for his fearless approach, skilled offensive game, and unexpected rise to the spotlight. So it’s only right that it’s celebrated by fans on the day that it finally comes to an end.
