Former NBA fan favorite Jeremy Lin announced his retirement from basketball, ending a professional career that dated back to 2010 and included an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. Lin transcended basketball as the first Taiwanese-American player in league history and with his “Linsanity” run during the 2011-12 season, wherein he sparked a surge with the New York Knicks by effectively coming out of nowhere with a string of tremendous performances in the middle of the year.
Lin had not played in the NBA since his title-winning season in 2019 and spent the final years of his career in Chinese and Taiwanese leagues. He last played for the New Taipei Kings and won the 2025 TPBL championship. He also hauled in the league’s MVP honor and was named the TPBL Finals MVP.
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away,” Lin said in a social media post. “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.”
His “Linsanity” season with the Knicks transformed Lin from a reserve into a starter; he started all 82 regular-season games for the Houston Rockets the following year in 2012. It was his most complete season as a pro and confirmed that he was no one-hit wonder with the Knicks.
“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,” said 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 everytime I touched a basketball.”
Lin averaged double figures in scoring from the “Linsanity” season in 2011-12 through his penultimate year in the NBA in 2018-19. Most of his career highs came in that breakthrough season with the Knicks, when he averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and a 44.6% field goal percentage.
“So many people have sacrificed and poured into my journey, more than I could ever repay,” said 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.”
The Golden State Warriors picked Lin up as an undrafted free agent in 2010 out of Harvard. He was a college standout as a three-time All-Ivy League honoree.