BASKETBALL/Taiwan basketball star Benson Lin returns home to join Taipei Mars

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Taiwan basketball star Benson Lin Ting-chien (林庭謙) has returned home to join the TPBL's Taipei Taishin Mars after six seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

At a press conference Thursday to announce his signing, Lin discussed his ambitions after returning to Taiwan.

"I'm very excited and happy," Lin said, adding that he hoped to contribute to Taiwan basketball and that his only goal with the Mars is to win a championship.

Lin's return is particularly notable given that he is 26 and coming off his most productive CBA season

Taiwanese players from the so-called "golden generation" who returned home after playing in China generally did so later in their careers.

Regarded as one of the top guards on Taiwan's men's national team, Lin established himself as one of the country's most successful players in China's top professional basketball league.

He delivered the best season of his career in 2025-2026, averaging 19.6 points, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game and earning All-CBA Second Team honors.

Lin will join a Mars team that went 11-25 in the 2025-2026 TPBL regular season, finishing sixth in the seven-team league.

The franchise has yet to win a title since it was established in the summer of 2023. Its best result came in its inaugural 2023-2024 season in the T1 League, when it reached the finals but finished runner-up.

Mars General Manager Chris Lin (林祐廷) said the club had been in contact with Lin since its establishment and held further negotiations during the offseason.

The two sides reached an agreement after finding that they shared the same goal of winning a championship, he said.

The general manager declined to confirm reports that Lin could earn up to NT$60 million (US$2 million) annually, saying only that he had signed a multiyear contract containing an overseas opt-out clause.

The Mars remain open to Lin playing abroad again and will not restrict such opportunities, he added.

"His value cannot be measured in money," the general manager said. "His willingness to return and contribute to Taiwan basketball is what matters most."

Returning home will also allow Lin to participate in rural outreach organized by the Lin Cheng-ming Charity Basketball Association, named after his late father, a renowned high school coach who died unexpectedly in July 2024.

For Thursday's event, Lin wore the suit his father wore when guiding Neng Ren Home Economic and Commercial Vocational High School to its first High School Basketball League championship.

"I believe it brought him good luck, and I hope it will also bring the Taipei Taishin Mars good luck in the new season," he said.