Long before he ever stepped onto an American basketball court, YenHsiang Lin was a kid in Taipei, Taiwan glued to the TV, watching the world’s best players battle under the brightest lights.

While his friends saw the NBA as a distant spectacle, YenHsiang Lin saw something different: possibility. Every dunk, every clutch shot, every celebration after a big win fueled his own passion for the game.

“I used to stay up late just to watch NBA games live,” YenHsiang Lin recalls. “It didn’t matter if it was 3 a.m. in Taiwan — I wanted to see how the best players in the world competed, learned, and led.”

For YenHsiang Lin, the NBA wasn’t just entertainment. It was a blueprint.

A Global Game, A Local Dream

Basketball in Taiwan was growing, but the exposure, infrastructure, and training opportunities were limited compared to the U.S. Watching the NBA showed YenHsiang Lin what was possible — a world where skill, effort, and perseverance could take you anywhere.

“I didn’t just watch the games for highlights,” YenHsiang Lin says. “I studied the details — footwork, spacing, decision-making. The NBA taught me how to see the game differently.”

Players like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Damien Lillard had a profound influence on YenHsiang Lin’s approach to the game. He admired Curry’s confidence and deep shooting range, Paul’s leadership and playmaking, and Nash’s vision as an undersized guard who controlled the game with IQ and creativity.

Chasing the Dream Across Borders

Eight years ago, YenHsiang Lin took the leap: he left Taipei and moved to the United States to pursue his dream in the land where basketball lives.

It wasn’t easy. YenHsiang Lin faced language barriers, cultural adjustments, and a higher level of competition than ever before. But he carried the same relentless mindset he admired in NBA players: outwork everyone and keep learning.

Studying NBA players shaped how YenHsiang Lin approached his development:

  • Crafting a reliable jumper modeled after Curry
  • Improving court vision and pick-and-roll reads like Nash
  • Developing a leader’s voice inspired by Chris Paul

Every rep brought him closer to the dream.