Former NBA star Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is to arrive in Taiwan on Saturday, he said yesterday, adding that he hopes he could play his first game with the Kaohsiung Steelers on Feb. 12.
Lin made the comments in a social media post, in which he also apologized to his fans in Taiwan, saying he would not be able to sign any autographs at the airport due to COVID-19 restrictions.
He is expected to practice social distancing from Saturday through Saturday next week, during which he would not be able to go to a basketball arena, he said.
Photo: CNA
That would also prevent him from playing against his younger brother, New Taipei Kings guard Joseph Lin, when their P.League+ teams play on Saturday next week.
The Steelers’ management have not yet said whether Jeremy Lin would play against the Taishin Dreamers on Feb. 12.
In the T1 League, Philippine professional basketball player Robert Bolick is set to join a Taiwanese team, according to online reports, following speculation after the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) standout missed the first three games of the league’s Governors’ Cup.
“Multiple sources confirmed to Daily Tribune that the star playmaker had already started packing his bags for a short assignment in the professional league in Taiwan,” the English-language Philippine newspaper said in an online report on Sunday.
Bolick’s stint in Taiwan is expected to be “very short,” as he might return to the PBA by May, the report said.
Philippine sports news and social media blog Fastbreak.com.ph on Monday said that Bolick’s contract with the NorthPort Batang Pier expired on Tuesday and his reported deal with a T1 League team is only until May.
On Instagram, Midnight Sports said that Bolick was joining the Taichung Suns.
The Suns on Tuesday did not confirm the news, but said it would soon make an official statement about the rumor.
The 27-year-old 1.82m-tall guard, who has played for the Philippines national team, averaged 10 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 19.4 minutes over two games in the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers last year.
In the PBA this season, he emerged as the top local scorer in the Commissioner’s Cup, which ended last month, posting an average of 21.67 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 41.24 minutes over 12 games with the NorthPort Batang Pier.
Also set to join the T1 League is former San Miguel Alab Pilipinas forward Nick King, who is to play for the New Taipei CTBC DEA, the team said on Monday.
The 2.03m-tall King, 27, played for Alab in the ASEAN Basketball League’s 2019-2020 season, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
King, who is from the US and also known as “Simba,” played in the NBA G League for the Windy City Bulls this season and the Maine Celtics in 2018-2019.
King, who started practicing with the team on Monday, said in a video posted online that his new team has the potential to win the championship.
“I just love the chemistry and the energy the team brings. I see us as a young and exciting team,” he said. “They’ve got some great players all around. I’m ready to meet the coaching staff, I’m just excited to get the journey started to try to bring the championship here.”
On the court, the Taoyuan Pilots on Tuesday won their eighth consecutive home game in the P.League+, topping the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers 88-70 at Taoyuan Arena.
Lioneers forward Anthony Bennett emerged as the top scorer, posting 30 points, with 17 rebounds and three assists, while Pilots center Jeff Ayres had 21 points, 14 rebounds and one assist.
The Pilots are second in the six-team league standings with a 12-4 record, behind the New Taipei Kings.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS