Lin dodges China, Taiwan nationality question

TAIPEI (AFP) –

US NBA player Jeremy Lin poses with young fans in Taipei. Lin on Sunday sidestepped questions about whether he considered himself Taiwanese or Chinese, as the issue of the basketball star’s true ancestral homeland came into focus on a visit to Taipei.

Jeremy Lin on Sunday sidestepped questions about whether he considered himself Taiwanese or Chinese, as the issue of the basketball star’s true ancestral homeland came into focus on a visit to Taipei.

A war of words has raged between Taiwan and China with both keen to lay claim to the US-born sensation. The Houston Rockets player’s parents are from the island but his maternal grandmother is from mainland China.

A day after arriving for his first visit to Taiwan since he shot to stardom and sparked the “Linsanity” phenomenon, he was asked whether he truly considered himself from Taiwan, China or the US.

But the 23-year-old refused to give a direct answer, telling hundreds of journalists in Taipei: “You guys all know the background of my family’s history, my parents were born here.”

Speaking in English and halting Mandarin, he also refused to compare himself to Yao Ming, China’s first global sporting icon.

Yao joined the Houston Rockets in 2002 as the first player from outside the United States to be selected as the top NBA draft choice.

“I think we always need to be careful” who we compare ourselves to, said Lin.

“He means a lot to me, he did help me a lot. What I want to do is to help other people as well and younger kids and inspire them to play basketball,” Lin said.

The responses are likely to disappoint his army of fans on the island, where he has been hailed as “the glory of Taiwan” and inspired a feverish following, including President Ma Ying-jeou.

Lin rocketed to fame last season with the New York Knicks, thrilling fans with his clutch shooting and passing skills.

Last month, he signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Houston Rockets.

He is scheduled to visit Taiwan again in late August to host a summer basketball camp for teenagers in the first leg of an Asian tour, his agent has said.