Linsanity swept Taiwan as Jeremy Lin , the first NBA player of
Taiwanese descent, arrived in Taiwan earlier yesterday, marking his
first visit since his meteoric rise with the New York Knicks earlier
this year.
Holding handmade heart-shaped signs with messages like
“Jeremy Lin, Welcome” and “I Love Jeremy Lin,” some in the shape of
basketball player’s jersey or teddy bears, Lin’s fans gathered at Taiwan
Taoyuan International Airport earlier yesterday morning, waiting to
give him a hearty welcome.
Some of the fans sang out their
admiration for Lin by changing lyrics of the song You Are My Sunshine to
“You are my hero, my only hero. When I think of you, I couldn’t sleep.”
Fans
waiting at the terminal had their smiles briefly turned upside down as a
special arrangement had been made for Lin to leave the airport by
another route.
However, they cheered up after receiving a short
video message recorded by Lin saying: “Thanks for visiting me at the
airport, sorry I couldn’t see you guys … but I’ll see you guys tonight.
Thanks for coming again.”
Heading straight to the hotel for a
short rest, Lin’s itinerary for the daytime was kept secret until he
tweeted at about 3:50pm, saying: “thanks TAIWAN for the heartwarming
welcome … I’m so glad to be back!! See you at the night market??” with a
photograph of himself holding a cake made into his image sitting on his
lucky couch.
More than a thousand fans, some waving placards
reading “Linsanity” and “Can you sign my jersey?” thronged Ximending in Taipei last night, where Lin met with local fans at an event
organized by his sponsors.
“Hello everyone, thank you for coming
here to see me,” Lin, who recently signed a three-year, US$25 million
contract to play for the Houston Rockets, said to the crowd in Chinese
with a big smile, adding: “I love the energy here in Taiwan.”
Lin later responded to a wish list presented by six children from the
Eden Social Welfare Foundation, including demonstrating his “secret
handshake” to a little boy, lifting another boy up into the air when he
asked for a big hug and signing basketballs for each of them as a gift.
Lin
later arrived at a street hoops gala, where an even larger crowd had
already packed the area, waiting to see him demonstrate his skills on
the basketball court.
Lin personally instructed 16 lucky
basketball players from the audience on how to improve their dribbling,
crossover, lay-up and shooting, by carefully correcting their postures
and teaching them his own techniques.
According to flight
attendants on Lin’s flight from San Francisco to Taipei yesterday, Lin’s
basketball skills have made him a star, but it is his personality and
charisma that capture people’s hearts.
During the 12-hour flight, Lin was very amiable, “just like the boy next door,” one of the flight attendants said.
After
taking off from California, Lin prepared ice packs for his right knee
and took a rest, the cabin service director said, adding that Lin was
very well-mannered and humble.
Lin will attend a news conference today at 2pm in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) and will then fly to China for a basketball camp.
Due
to time restraints, Lin was unlikely to be able to visit the ancestral
home of his father’s relatives in Changhua County as planned. Many fans
there expressed disappointment and look forward to seeing him later this
month, when he is scheduled to return to Taiwan.
He is scheduled to return to Taiwan to host a similar camp for a group of 120 young players from Aug. 27 to Aug. 30.
Additional reporting by CNA
NBA player Jeremy Lin, center, is flanked by minders as he is greeted by fans behind barriers in Taipei yesterday.Aug 05, 2012 Photo: AFP / Sam YEH
Ximending is the teeming shopping town in Taipei city of Taiwan.
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http://www.taipeitimes.com/