While Jeremy Lin was being interviewed shortly after leading the New Taipei City Kings to an 89-77 win over the Meralco Bolts in their East Asia Super League (EASL) game at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, Philippines, his former NBA teammate Rondae Hollis-Jefferson quietly made his way towards the interview area.
As he came into view, Lin let out a playful yell. Hollis-Jefferson then pulled out a water bottle and poured the contents onto Lin's head before both shared a big hug.
"It was amazing," Hollis-Jefferson said. "I love Jeremy. That's like one of my best friends. Amazing person. His heart is pure. You couldn't ask for a better teammate."
Did he catch Lin by surprise?
"Me and him, nothing surprises him. He knows I'm liable to do anything," Hollis-Jefferson said.
Lin and RHJ became close friends when they were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets in 2018. So when Lin's Kings flew into Manila to play the Bolts, Hollis-Jefferson made sure he was going to show up.
"He's like a little brother," Lin said. "Through all my nine years in the NBA, he's one of my closest friends. Today is his birthday. For him to come out on his birthday, to bring his brother and their families out on his birthday speaks volumes. He's just a great guy, and he's just killing it out here doing a great job. I know he's having a lot of fun. I appreciate his support for the Kings."
Lin put on a show for his old friend and for the Filipino fans who trooped to Philsports to catch a glimpse of the man who fueled 'Linsanity' in 2012. He finished with a team-high 23 points, and his two 3-pointers in the third quarter ignited a big New Taipei run that broke the game open.
"I think he played really well," Hollis-Jefferson said. "About executing, about getting to his spots, about being a leader, he was all right."
Lin said he enjoyed playing in front of a Filipino crowd again. He first came over in October 2013 as a member of the Houston Rockets for a preseason game against the Indiana Pacers.
"It's fun to be in a country where they love basketball so much," Lin said. "I think it's really good for us. The guys played hard. Their team played hard as well, and it was really good to be able to come out with a win.
"I came out here in 2013. I played one preseason game, and then right after that we went to Taipei to play the next preseason game. My parents were born and raised in Taipei, and people always ask me, 'What was that experience like?' And I was like, 'Honestly, they're equally crazy.' I knew that since 2013. This fanbase is unreal."
Bolts coach Luigi Trillo was disappointed by his team's inability to capitalize on Lin's foul trouble.
"We did not take Jeremy Lin away from (his game)," Trillo said. "He was in foul trouble with three fouls. We could have punished him a bit, make him play more defense. I thought the ball sometimes froze a little bit.
"He's NBA-caliber, and he does a lot of things for them. You know in the end that he is going to make plays. I thought we made him go to his right too much. He got to the basket a lot. We didn't take away his strength. With that being said, he's a basketball role model. For Filipino fans, it's nice that he was here. But I'm totally not happy with the way we executed in the third defensively. We're better than that."
Bolts guard Chris Banchero, who guarded Lin for stretches of the game, knew it was impossible for just one player to contain the former NBA guard.
"Obviously, he's a very good player. But whenever you face guys like that, it wasn't just my job. Everybody on the floor has got to be aware of where he's at and on help defense. I thought we did a good job on him in the first half. He hit some timely threes. Players like that, they're gonna have good games."
While Lin had previously played here in 2013, it was his first time to play here against a local team.
"They play physical. Cliff Hodge is a great example. He plays the four-man position, and he's 6-foot-4. And I can see why, because he's very physical, he's smart, he does his job really, really well. And he makes everything difficult for you. They just play hard and physical, and I think that's the best type of basketball you want to play."
Lin was once the face of the NBA, and while his chances of returning there are very slim, Hollis-Jefferson is sure his old friend is happy to be where he is now.
"With the way today's NBA is going, you just never know. I think he's focused on what he's doing now. He loves what he's doing, he loves his teammates. He loves Taiwan. I support him wherever he goes. This opportunity, I know he'll make the best of it."