Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury lives out Chinese dream
Former All-Star reinvents himself, not only with his playing career but in his zest for life and his willingness to embrace the local culture
After a roller-coaster NBA career, Stephon Marbury has found peace in basketball-crazed China. The two-time All-Star is thriving on the court with the Beijing Ducks while becoming one with his adopted hometown away from basketball.
He is so entrenched, he wants to one day coach China's national team.
I plan on living here for the rest of my life. I think they respect me enough to be able to give me the opportunity
"I plan on living here for the rest of my life," the 37-year-old point guard and Brooklyn native said in the lobby of his plush apartment building in the heart of Beijing. "I think they respect me enough to be able to give me the opportunity."
China is a world away from Marbury's life in the US, where he endured a string of disappointing stints with several NBA teams. But he has found his groove in Beijing, leading the Ducks to two Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) championships. He is an unrivalled fan favourite and the team's on-court leader - the team have even erected a statue of him in front of their arena.
"I don't make nowhere near the money that I made when I was playing in the NBA," Marbury said. "But I'm way happier, so I mean, what is that to say?"
