 In addition to being a U.S. citizen , Lin is by descent through his parents a national of Taiwan ; Lin would qualify for a Taiwan passport although there is no record of him having done so . Lin has been invited to play for the Chinese Taipei men 's national basketball team in FIBA competitions . On July 28 , 2010 while in Taipei to play in Yao Ming 's charity game , Lin said he had not made a decision yet on whether he would represent Chinese Taipei ( the name used by Taiwan in international sporting competitions ) . In June 2011 , the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association ( CTBA ) included Lin in its preliminary squad of 24 players for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship . The next month , however , the CTBA announced that Lin would not be included on their roster due to a knee injury . 
