Former NBA Sensation Jeremy Lin Receives Ban for Violating Anti-Doping Rules

(Photo : SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images) Jeremy Lin, former NBA basketball player, poses for photographs after joining Taiwans P. LEAGUE+ Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers basketball team during a press conference in Kaohsiung on February 8, 2023.

Former NBA player Jeremy Lin has been competing in the P. League+ team New Taipei Kings in Taiwan for some time now, but his participation will temporarily halt.

On Tuesday, March 19, the 35-year-old received a five-game suspension from the league for breaching rules by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Lin sought blood treatment for an injury, a procedure not sanctioned by WADA. However, the league clarified that no prohibited substances were involved in his rehabilitation process.

Additionally, Lin is subjected to a fine of NT$150,000 (US$4,719).

In a video released by the New Taipei Kings on March 7, viewers gained insight into Lin's daily training routine, including Intravenous Laser Irradiation of Blood (ILIB) therapy sessions at Taipei's ESEN Clinic.

WADA bans Jeremy Lin's blood treatment

Despite being a treatment for Lin's plantar fasciitis ailment, which he has been grappling with since late January, ILIB falls under the prohibited methods outlined by WADA.

This medical procedure employs blood purification, detoxification, and biochemical laser to enhance red blood cells' cellular energy and oxygen intake.

The New Taipei Kings issued an apology, clarifying that the treatment was not aimed at "enhancing performance" but solely intended to aid Lin's injury recovery.

During the 2011-12 NBA season, Lin rose to global prominence when he unexpectedly spearheaded a winning run with the New York Knicks, igniting a phenomenon dubbed "Linsanity."