Jeremy Lin “Always Thinking” of Taking Chinese Nationality
NBA-turned-CBA star Jeremy Lin held a press conference late last week as he was officially unveiled as a Beijing Duck ahead of the new Chinese basketball season. In it, Lin insisted that he saw a year in the CBA as a viable path back to the NBA after apparently turning down offers from “many other leagues.”
But one of the big headlines making the rounds in the Chinese media was Lin’s declaration that naturalizing to Chinese citizenship was something he was “always thinking about.”
California-born Lin’s parents grew up in Taipei, but his mother’s side of the family hail from Pinghu, a small city in southeastern China’s Zhejiang province. And as he told RADII in a recent exclusive interview, the former Toronto Raptor still feels a strong affinity with the area: “When I go there, I feel the most at home.”
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Lin wouldn’t be the first international sports star to naturalize to Chinese citizenship if he were to make the move. Earlier this month, Brazilian-born footballer Elkeson scored twice on his debut for the Chinese national side in their World Cup 2022 qualifier against the Maldives.
Whether Lin is seriously considering a similar switching of passports, or whether he was merely being diplomatic in front of the Chinese media, remains to be seen.
Wu Lei Asks FIFA 20 for a “True Face”
The recent launch of FIFA 20 has been plagued by major bugs — in particular in the game’s career mode — but for one Chinese player there’s an error that hits especially close to home. Espanyol midfielder Wu Lei, who was the first player of Chinese nationality to score in La Liga and has generally impressed for the Barcelona-based club since joining in January, has seemingly been left a bit bewildered by his FIFA self:
Women’s Volleyball Team Are China’s New Sporting Darlings
After a summer of sporting disappointment led primarily by the men’s basketball team, China finally has a World Cup victory to cheer. The women’s volleyball team crushed all-comers as they won 11 straight games to clinch the 2019 FIVB World Cup in Japan.
Having successfully defended the trophy they won four years ago, the Chinese team has been widely celebrated at home. Zhu Ting — who was named tournament MVP — and coach Lang Ping have been the subjects of most of the online attention, especially after the latter responded to the team’s victory by bursting into tears. At least this time for a Chinese sporting figure they were tears of joy.
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