Taiwanese-American basketball player Jeremy Lin made history yesterday as he became the first person of Taiwanese descent to join the NBA, according to US media reports.
The Dallas Morning News cited his agent as confirming that the 21 year-old Harvard graduate will sign with the Golden State Warriors.
Lin was born to Taiwanese parents in Palo Alto, California, close to where he ultimately will be playing. He graduated from Harvard earlier this year, having averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks for the school team.
He was a unanimous selection for the All-Ivy League First Team and later joined the Dallas Mavericks for their summer league in Las Vegas. It is there that he caught the attention of several NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors, reports said.
During the summer league, Lin averaged 9.8 games, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent of three-pointers in five games, according to ESPN.com
The Web site quoted a Western Conference scout in Las Vegas as saying: “He showed that he can be an NBA point guard. He showed us he can finish, defend and has above-average athleticism.”
The deal has been fully endorsed by Golden State’s incoming new owner Joe Lacob, who in a multi-year package offered to guarantee nearly half of Lin’s potential first-year salary of nearly US$500,000, ESPN.com said, citing sources close to the process.
The contract will make the 191cm, 91kg guard, the first person of Taiwanese descent to make it to the NBA regular season after SBL star Sean Chen failed to gather a spot despite playing for the Sacramento Kings at their pre-season training camp.
ESPN.com reported that Lin’s chances of making the NBA were apparently buoyed after he performed well in a summer match-up against Washington Wizards No. 1 draft pick John Wall.
A video of Lin’s highlights during the game, posted on Youtube, has become an Internet hit, with about 377,000 views as of press time yesterday.
Neither Lin nor his agent, Roger Montgomery of Montgomery Sports Group, have returned Taipei Times’ requests for comment.
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