WHEN Jeremy Lin set foot on the Philippines for the first time 10 years ago, he saw how passionate the fans were.
It didn’t change one bit.
Lin played once again in front of the Filipino fans helping the New Taipei Kings beat Meralco, 89-77, in their East Asia Super League encounter at the Philsports Arena on Wednesday.
It was his first game back in Manila since suiting up for the Houston Rockets in an NBA preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on October 10, 2013 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Lin impressed with fanbase
Lin said one of the things that stood out for him is the Filipinos’ love for basketball.
“I came out here, I think it’s 2013, I played one preseason game. And right after that, we went to Taipei for the next preseason game. My parents were born and raised in Taipei. People asked me how the experience was. And honestly, it was pretty crazy,” said Lin.
“The fanbase here is unreal,” Lin said.
Meralco was the designated home team but Lin got a lot of cheers from the fans as well. Several fans brought with them Lin merchandise from jerseys, shoes, to NBA cards in the hope that it would be signed by the player who became known for ‘Linsanity.’
Lin said even after his first visit in the Philippines, he has always heard good things about the fans from his teammates.
Lin: Phl is top destination
“A lot of my former teammates… they talk about after the summer, in the offseason like, we went to an endorsement tour, we have to do this, where we are going… The Philippines is a top, top, top destination that everybody wants to be at. That’s like, for sure,” said the 35-year-old Lin.
While his first visit may be on a different setting than on Wednesday, Lin said the love for basketball remains very evident.
“It’s a different experience. When I came here in 2013, it was with the NBA, it’s the Rockets and the Pacers. We are talking about a whole different level of… I mean that thing was, we literally couldn’t barely walk in the lobby of our hotel. I remember we went to (Mall of Asia), there were hundreds of people following us.”
“Obviously, it was a different level of production, marketing, and awareness. But you just feel the enthusiasm everywhere even with the interactions, one-on-one, one-on-two, you feel that deep passion for basketball. You feel it everywhere you go,” said Lin.
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