After an extraordinary 18-year tenure with the Liaoning Flying Leopards, Han Dejun has drawn the curtain on a storied professional basketball career.

Liaoning confirmed the retirement of their venerable stalwart on Monday afternoon, lauding him as a "distinguished player, spiritual leader, former captain, and starting center" whose departure marks the closing of an illustrious chapter.

Over nearly two decades, the 38-year-old Han embodied loyalty rare in modern sport by never straying from the team that shaped him. His resume sparkles: among the top three rebounders in CBA history, nestled firmly within the league's all-time top ten scorers, six-time CBA All-Star, two-time National Games gold medalist, and four-time CBA champion.

At the peak of his powers, multiple suitors dangled lucrative contracts well above his Liaoning salary. Yet Han remained unmoved. "I'm a native of Liaoning," he explained. "For me, feelings outweigh money. My bond with Liaoning is different, it's something money simply can't buy."

His devotion was not without sacrifice. Year after year, Liaoning fell agonizingly short of the championship, prompting Han to vow, "If I don't bring a title to Liaoning, I won't hold a wedding." True to his word, it was only after the team clinched their first-ever crown that Han finally celebrated his nuptials with his wife.

Even as his body protested, "I'm barely holding on, my knees hurt more every day", Han's presence on the court remained indefatigable, marked by grit and heart.

Liaoning's farewell message was heartfelt: "Thank you for eighteen years of unwavering dedication, endurance, and sacrifice. Thank you for giving your prime years to Liaoning. Thank you for the countless thrilling moments your hard work has brought us. And thank you for embodying humility and sincerity, setting a positive example in Chinese basketball."

Earlier, Jeremy Lin, the 37‑year‑old guard whose 2012 hot streak for the New York Knicks was christened "Linsanity", also announced his retirement from professional basketball.

"As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away. I've spent my 15‑year career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I've ever made," he wrote on Instagram.

Lin's NBA story is an odd mosaic of meteoric highs and journeyman stops. Over 480 games he averaged 11.6 points and 4.3 assists while turning out for the Knicks, Golden State, Houston, the Lakers, Charlotte, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Toronto.

His peak came in New York in 2011–12, when his elevation to the starting lineup sparked a seven‑game winning streak and a career‑high 38‑point night against the Los Angeles Lakers, moments that briefly made him the league's most intoxicating story. He later collected an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and extended his career in China with the CBA's Beijing Ducks and Guangzhou Loong Lions from 2019 to 2022.