In a recent post on his Weibo account, Stephon Marbury has denied recent media speculation that he will play his final season in the CBA under contract with the Shenzhen Leopards. Marbury, by far the most infamous and impactful foreign basketball player to ply his trade in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), specifically names a report from Tian Tian news as the source of misinformation.
The former All-NBA talent from Coney Island caused a stir when he abruptly declared his playing days were over after the 2017-2018 CBA season. Shortly later, he declared he would be leaving the Beijing Ducks, the team with whom he reinvented himself into a bona-fide pop culture icon in China, and playing elsewhere in China during his aforementioned final season.
It was a bombshell announcement that rocked the Far East, the Chinese Basketball equivalent of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie splitting up – except the divorce between Beijing and Marbury was far less predictable. It also started a sweepstakes within the CBA for the services of Marbury, still a serviceable point guard capable of playing thirty minutes a night 21 years after he was initially drafted into the NBA.
Marbury's tenure with the Beijing Ducks included three CBA championships
More intriguing is Marbury's proven popularity and cult status. The team that signs him for his farewell tour will enjoy a season-long media frenzy as their season is scrutinized by foreign and domestic media alike due to Marbury's sheer popularity and pariah status abroad.
Thus, it is no surprise that speculation about where Marbury will land is running rampant. For his part, the star maintains that he is undecided, adding: "I will let all of you know as soon as we make the decision."
Marbury has openly stated he wants to win a championship in his final CBA season and the Shenzhen Leopards do look like a natural landing place. Not only did they make the playoffs as one of the top eight teams in the CBA but they may have one of the two open roster spots allotted to foreigners open with American and former Leopard Bobby Brown wrapping up a season for Houston in North America's National Basketball Association (NBA).
Marbury has previously played for clubs in Foshan and Taiyuan, showing he isn’t shy about going to a city that does not yet have Sherpa's food delivery service, so it is anyone’s guess on where he will finally end up.
[Images via The Undefeated, Weibo, NBA Mate]
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