Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson Return to China, CBA to Re-Start in April

After a near three month hiatus, American players are returning to China.

Upon the mass outbreak of the coronavirus, the Chinese Basketball Association suspended its season, but with the virus finally under control in the region, the CBA is ready to resume the season in empty arenas in mid-April. Marquee players such as Jeremy Lin and Lance Stephenson are back in China and are excited to get going again.

Lost amid this week's chaos: Jeremy Lin is back in China with the Beijing Ducks and has begun a 14-day quarantine in advance of the Chinese Basketball Association's expected mid-April resumption. "The world needs basketball now more than ever," Lin said via Instagram

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 21, 2020

“It’s been an awesome 2 months camped out in the gym … basketball has never been more meaningful. The world needs basketball now more than ever,” Lin wrote on Instagram.

Lin, as well as every other foreign player returning to China will be required to spend two weeks in self-quarantine before being able to reunite with teammates. In his first season with the Beijing Ducks, Lin has averaged 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.

The league will resume play with all 20 teams set to play in one or two cities. The plan is to play a shortened regular season followed by the playoffs.