In a recent interview with ESPN, former NBA star Stephon Marbury has doubled down on his previous decision to formally retire on February 11, after the 2017-2018 CBA season concludes. The star, known in China as Ma Bu Li (马布里) cited the futile 16-18 record of his team along with the wear and tear accumulated during a two-decade career, spent playing in cities from New York City to Ningbo, as reasons for stepping away from the game.
When the two-time NBA All-Star was unceremoniously booted from professional basketball in the USA, he was considered washed-up and well past his prime.
Marbury quickly resurfaced in China, a move that was largely derided as yet another foreigner looking for one last payday overseas. However, Marbury was able to reinvent himself, rejuvenating his career and winning three Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) championships while bringing visibility to the Chinese professional ranks in the process.
Along the way, Marbury became equal parts meme and celebrity in his adopted home country. He was gifted with a rare residence permit, got his own museum, appeared on a credit card and became the unwitting antagonist in a series of viral YouTube videos filmed in China. Most recently, the star caused drama by spurning the club that made him famous, the Beijing Ducks, for crosstown rival Beijing Fly Dragons.
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At this point Marbury is inexorably intertwined with China, his accomplishments in the Middle Kingdom dwarfing his mid-aughts NBA success. In his exit interview with Marc Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated blog, Marbury said “I have a couple of things [going on in China]. I will keep you up with what I’m doing... They are making sure that I ain’t going nowhere.”
Marbury’s last game in his globe-spanning 22-year professional career that began with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves will conclude in Beijing on February 11, only days before Marbury turns 41, as the Fly Dragons host Jiangsu.
[Image via Clutch Points]
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