Jeremy Lin: 'Door Seems to Be Pretty Shut' on NBA Return After G League Run

Jeremy Lin is pessimistic that he'll get another shot at the NBA.

The guard discussed the potential for a return to the league in an interview with Sopan Deb of the New York Times:

"I've always had that hope. But that door seems to be pretty shut, and I feel like that was confirmed and double confirmed after what I had done in the G League and how well I had played and seeing that all the top scorers and all the top assist leaders all got contracts except for me. So, at that point, it was kind of like, there’s nothing else I could do."

Lin's last NBA appearance was helping the Toronto Raptors win a title in 2019. He signed with the Beijing Ducks the following year, but he attempted a return to the NBA in 2020-21 with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors.

Despite averages of 19.8 points and 6.4 assists in nine games, he never got a chance with the Golden State Warriors.

The 34-year-old excelled in his first stint in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 22.3 points and 5.6 assists per game in 2019-20, although he struggled upon his return in 2021-22 while scoring just 13.4 points per game.

He later explained he had lingering issues after contracting COVID-19, which affected him on the court.

"I've been feeling very tired—like I couldn't breathe—so for me, going down this path might seem more difficult than others," Lin said in January.

The veteran will look for a bounce-back season in the CBA after joining the Guangzhou Loong Lions.

Lin is best known for his stretch with the New York Knicks dubbed "Linsanity" as the undrafted player emerged on the scene. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game with the Knicks in 2011-12 before signing with the Houston Rockets the following offseason. He appeared in 480 NBA games for eight different organizations in his career.