Jeremy Lin shows off his game in the kitchen

A knee injury has kept Jeremy Lin off the basketball court, but that didn't stop him from showcasing some of his cooking moves on Monday.

The point guard for the Brooklyn Nets celebrated the upcoming Chinese New Year on Monday with fans from China who took part in the NBA's 2018 Chinese New Year celebration.

Lin, the NBA's first Chinese-American player, participated in the preparation of a traditional Lunar New Year's dish - dumplings - with a chef from a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn. Lin displayed his own technique for making fillings and dumpling wrappers.

The 6-foot-3 Lin is out for the season due to a ruptured patella tendon and had been rehabilitating in Vancouver. He said he was glad to be back in Brooklyn, watching Nets games in Barclays Center and interacting with fans.

Lin's dumplings were presented to three of his fans from China. The event was live-streamed on the NBA's Weibo account. Lin has 5 million followers on his own Weibo page.

"My Chinese fans are special to me," Lin said. "For so many years, no matter what my performance, Chinese fans, you are always supportive of me."

The 29-year-old Harvard graduate became an idol for Chinese fans when he led the struggling New York Knicks on a winning streak in 2012, inspiring "Linsanity".

Lin also will be the subject of a 10-minute documentary, Jeremy Lin: Roots, on his visit to the home of his maternal grandmother in Pinghu, Zhejiang province. It will air on NBA China's TV and digital partners during the league's Chinese New Year celebration from Feb 2 to March 3.

Lin's season ended the day it started. On Oct 18, in the Nets' season-opener against the Indiana Pacers, he hurt his right knee after landing hard.

"I'm recovering well," he said. "The rehab has been very smooth. But I don't expect to return this season. I cannot take the risk."

Lin is expected to be back in basketball in six to nine months, and had successful knee surgery.

"My trainer, rehabilitation division, my team and I already have a comprehensive and thoughtful plan that will allow me to rebuild myself from the ground up and be stronger than before," he said. "Besides rehabbing from my knee injury and other past injuries, I also use the time to work on my movement patterns and other skills. I hope to have some improvement."

Lin promised he would use his down time on a new project, a youth basketball instructional league that seeks to encourage Chinese children to play.

"There is always a desire in my heart to hope that all Chinese children will have the same basketball training resources and opportunities as American children," Lin said. "I hope my basketball basic training course can help more Chinese kids learn some basketball foundation; I will be very happy to see more Chinese players in the league."

Lin said he hopes to live in Pinghu a while in retirement.

ruinanzhang@chinadailyusa.com