- Lin, the first Asian-American to win an NBA ring, drops 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in Beijing derby
- Beijing Royal Fighters coach Stephon Marbury asks post-match press conference to be conducted in Chinese
NBA champion Jeremy Lin finds himself at the top of the Chinese Basketball Association with the Beijing Ducks after an 87-79 victory over their city rivals the Beijing Royal Fighters on Wednesday night.
That win takes the Lin-led Ducks to a 6-1 record for the 2019-20 season, the same as the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and the Guangdong Southern Tigers at the top of the standings.
Lin, who left the NBA for Beijing in the summer, scored 16 points for the Ducks in Wednesday's win at the Cadillac Centre, their home venue in the Chinese capital.
The 31-year-old shot 6-of-8 from the foul line while picking up five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Teammate Justin Hamilton dropped 21 points and 15 rebounds.
The Ducks are looking to win their first CBA crown since 2015, when another former New York Knicks player, Stephon Marbury, brought the championship to Wukesong Arena.
Marbury was back at the Arena on Wednesday night but on the other side of the Beijing derby as head coach of the Royal Fighters.
Yeah️another win for#BeijingDucks 87-79@JLin730mins, 16PTS, 5RB, 3AST, 1BLK, 5-8 FGM, 6-8 FTM pic.twitter.com/qKw5rJQlN2
" Kwawa (@kwawa_hsuk302) November 20, 2019
At the end of the game, Marbury exchanged hugs with many of his former teammates. Former Ducks player Sun Yue also returned with the Royal Fighters. Sun's performance was applauded by the home fans.
Marbury stole the show in the press conference when asked a question in English by a reporter. He said, "Please ask in Chinese, all of us are Chinese."
The former NBA star " who was named Royal Fighters' coach in June " has been seen as a prime example for foreign players and coaches in the CBA.
He even joked about whether his unusual courtside outfit, which included a white military-style outfit, would incur the wrath of CBA boss Yao Ming.
The Ducks next play on Friday when they host the Liaoning Flying Leopards at the Cadillac Arena.
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