Jeremy Lin (Photo : Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters)
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin has made a name for himself in almost every level of organized basketball throughout his journey from a skinny kid from Palo Alto High School to global sporting star in the NBA.
However, there's one arena Lin hasn't conquered yet up to this point. Although there were initiatives in the past for him to suit up in national colors, the 26-year old Asian-American star has been a relative stranger when it comes to International Basketball.
Taiwan, the birthplace of both his parents, has an outright claim on Lin should he decide to make his overdue international basketball debut. Outside baseball, basketball is arguably the biggest sport in the island nation and at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, Chinese Taipei proved to their Asian rivals they are a force to be reckoned with after going all the way to the semifinal stages of the tournament. Local analysts believed Chinese Taipei may be a piece away to become a serious title contender, and as expected, they view Jeremy Lin as that 'missing link.'
As for Lin, playing for Taiwan or internationally alone has remained a toss-up. In 2011, the Chinese Taipei men's basketball team made an effort to push for the inclusion of Lin in future international competitions, but the campaign never gained much traction because of his non-committal.
Taiwan isn't the only team in Asia that has shown interest in tapping Lin's service. Mainland China, who had been the perennial power in the continent until the rise of Iran, also inquired into the possibility of recruiting Lin.
With the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship - which also serves as an Olympic qualifier - just around the corner again, Taiwan is expected to make another concerted effort to finally convince Lin of playing with them. Unfortunately, Lin's upcoming free-agency could be again another road block for Taiwan to realize dream.
Averaging 10.7 points and 4.9 assists per game (ESPN Stats), Lin would be a great addition to a Taiwanese team that has made their living on pick-and-roll plays and outside shooting. Lin, who is one of the finest pick-and-roll orchestrators in the NBA, would easily make their offense more formidable.
