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Jeremy Lin scores 21, ties P.League record for assists in Taiwan debut

Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium crowd heard chanting 'MVP' in Lin's first game

Feb. 13, 2023 10:34

Jeremy Lin drives to the basket during debut on Feb. 12.

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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former NBA player Jeremy Lin's (林書豪) debuted in Taiwan's P.League+ (PLG) on Sunday (Feb. 12), scoring 21 points and tying the league's record for assists at 13 in the process.

Lin played 41 minutes during his first game for the Kaohsiung 17Live Steelers at Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium. He helped lead the Steelers to a 95-80 win over the Formosa Taishin Dreamers, ending a four-game losing streak.

Lin only rested for three minutes and 28 seconds, and dished out nine assists, while shooting 55% from the field in the first half, helping the team go into halftime with a 56 to 40 lead. Lin scored another six points in the third quarter.

At the 2:57 mark in the fourth quarter, he drained his first three. He then dropped a dime to Chen Yu-wei (陳又瑋), who sank another triple, forcing the Dreamers to call a timeout.

At that point, many of the 5,000 fans packed into Fengshan Stadium could be heard chanting "MVP, MVP!" Although the Dreamers tried to rally, Lin controlled the pace of the game and enabled the Steelers to maintain their lead. He finally sat out with one minute and 11 seconds left in the game.

The victory gave the Steelers only their third win of the season. The Steelers are currently in last place with a record of three wins and 17 losses, with 20 games left to play in the regular season.

Lin also kept his pre-game promise to give away and sign his jersey and sneakers. Around 110,000 people also tuned in online to watch Lin's first game, breaking PLG's previous online record of 63,000 viewers.

(CNA photo)