Former NBA player and three-time Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) champion Stephon Marbury is getting his Chinese Green card, announced the athlete on Weibo.
"I'm so blessed and thankful to receive my Chinese green card," Marbury wrote on the microblogging platform on Tuesday. "I feel like my love for China is being shown in the same way. Being the first foreign basketball player to receive a green card means a lot in making history in China."
With the green card, Marbury becomes one of a handful of modern celebrities to gain permanent residence in China, according to Quartz. The former NBA All-Star and current Beijing Ducks point guard told China Daily that he applied for the card earlier this year and will officially receive it on Christmas Day.
Marbury has seen remarkable success in China since he left behind a USD20 million contract with the New York Knicks six years ago. He led the Ducks to three championships and was voted the CBA Finals MVP earlier this year. Marbury, who was officially adopted as an honorary Beijing citizen last year, even has his own bronze statue outside the Mastercard Center.
Around 5,000 foreigners have been granted permanent residence in China since the green card program was started in 2004, according to China Daily.
[Image via China Daily]
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