342. Stephon Marbury: Remade in China

Stephon Marbury: Remade in China How the former hoops star went from NBA outcast to international trailblazer By Marc J. Spears Stephon Marbury was heading to practice with his Beijing Ducks on an October morning when his old NBA nightmares started to haunt him again. “They don’t want me at the game tonight,” Marbury said during the ride on Oct. 12. Seven years removed from the hard crash of his NBA career, Marbury has become a Jordanesque basketball figure in Beijing. Imagine how an NBA player would be treated if he led the Washington Wizards to a championship in the nation’s capital. That’s essentially what Marbury did in China, leading the Ducks to their first Chinese Basketball Association title and three in four years in that nation’s capital. And, boy, did Beijing ever show its appreciation. There is a statue of him holding up the 2012 Chinese Basketball Association trophy above his head outside the home arena. He is in another statue celebrating the first title along with two of his teammates outside of the practice arena. There is a Marbury museum about five kilometers from Tiananmen Square showcasing his entire basketball career, filled with old trophies, jerseys and other hoop artifacts as well as a gift shop. There was a Broadway-type musical centering on his life that he actually acted and danced in for 11 nights. He is acting as the lead in My Other Home, a Chinese film based on his life that is expected to debut in 2017 with cameos from Allen Iverson and Baron Davis. He also has a Chinese postage stamp, was honored as a role model by the local government and has a Chinese green card. Marbury is quite possibly the most popular African-American in the city’s history and likely the country, too. And the Ducks are expected to be the last basketball team he plays for professionally. Now with one more year left on his Beijing contract, he said he didn’t entertain an inquiry from the Houston Rockets after winning his first title in China in 2012.