Jeremy Lin Thrills Fans in Taiwan, Dodges Question About Heritage

TAIPEI, Taiwan — On the first trip to his parents' native Taiwan since emerging from basketball obscurity to become one of the NBA's biggest stars, Jeremy Lin has pledged to remain true to himself and not be overwhelmed by the fame that accompanies the phenomenon that is "Linsanity."

Showing his modesty, Lin said Sunday he hopes to inspire other people to play basketball, just as former Chinese NBA star Yao Ming inspired him.

Lin recently left the New York Knicks for Yao's former team, the Houston Rockets. He was born and raised in the United States. But his maternal grandmother is from China and his parents are from Taiwan. The NBA can expect Lin to generate huge business from the vast Chinese-speaking world because of his Asian lineage.

Lin evaded the touchy question of whether he's Chinese or Taiwanese, saying only "there's a lot of history behind who I am."

The point guard averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists in 35 games (25 starts) for the Knicks last season.