20 February,2012 11:23 AM IST | | AFP
New NBA sensation Jeremy Lin has sparked a war of words between Taiwan and China as the rivals seek to lay claim to being the New York Knicks player's true ancestral homeland.
US-born Lin, whose parents are Taiwanese immigrants, has been hailed as "the glory of Taiwan" and inspired a feverish following on the island after coming off the bench and powering the Knicks to a stunning run of triumphs this month. But there are also many across the Taiwan Strait who want to claim Lin as their own.
His maternal grandmother is from the mainland, and there are even outlandish calls for him to represent China in the upcoming Olympics.
