Tuesday 27 August 2019 12:30, UK
Former NBA star Jeremy Lin has signed a contract to play for China's Beijing Ducks, the team announced in a social media post on Tuesday.
Lin said earlier this summer that he had received little interest from NBA clubs during free agency, despite winning the first championship of his career with the Toronto Raptors.
In an emotional speech in Taipei, Taiwan, Lin told a Christian youth group: "There is a saying that says once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. But rock bottom just seems to keep getting more and more rock bottom for me.
"Free agency has been tough because I feel like in some ways, the NBA has kind of given up on me."
Lin played 23 games for the Raptors, including three starts, but he was benched during the playoffs and had no impact on Toronto's historic title win. He said he was embarrassed not to have made a contribution and did not feel he earned the title of NBA champion.
A player with Taiwanese parents, Lin became something of an idol in China following his famous 35-game 'Linsanity' run with the New York Knicks in 2012.
The 31-year-old Harvard alum has played for eight different teams over the course of his NBA career that began in October of 2010.
It is not clear how long Lin will play for the Beijing Ducks. The team said that after the Chinese Basketball Association's approval of his registration, he would be cleared to play for Beijing.
The Ducks, three-time CBA champions, last lifted the league winners' trophy in 2015 with the help of former Knicks player Stephon Marbury.
