On Tuesday Feb. 28, Taiwanese American former NBA player Jeremy Lin and his younger brother, Joseph Lin, went head-to-head for the first time in the Taiwanese men’s professional basketball league, leading the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers and New Taipei Kings teams respectively.
Taiwanese P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) fans had been looking forward to the Lin brothers’ face-off game since Jeremy Lin signed with the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers in January 2023, bringing fresh hope to the bottom-placed team.
The brothers’ mom, Shirley Lin, showed up to the game in a special half-and-half jersey to support both of her sons.
“Everyone’s a winner tonight! All the staff members, the media, the team, the players, the vendors and the fans are winners. I hope everyone enjoys the game and feels enthusiastic,” Shirley Lin told Taiwanese outlet ETtoday.
“I have mixed feelings. [My sons] had been on the same team since young and rarely played against each other. I can’t remember the last time they faced off,” she added.
During the match, Jeremy Lin scored 23 points and recorded seven rebounds and six assists, but the match still ended up with Joseph Lin’s team, the Kings’ 101-88 home win.
After the game, Jeremy Lin took the chance to praise his little brother when asked to comment on his performance.
“I feel he’s very underrated as a pro baller these past years, I think many people do not see his greatness,” Jeremy Lin said, according to CNA.
“Joseph is such a model player in every aspect, he is so unselfish that he sacrificed [his own statistics] to help his teammates flourish,” he added.
The Steelers and the Kings will not face off again until the next game on April 16.
