Who is Stephon Marbury? The answer can vary based on who you ask and how closely they’ve followed his post-NBA odyssey.
Fans of a younger generation will remember a despondent Marbury sitting on the end of the Knicks’ bench during a turbulent era in team history. They might recall images of a depressed figure who hit rock bottom on a bizarre livestream that included bouts of sobbing and the consumption of Vaseline.
In 2010, Marbury left the NBA as a castaway and was welcomed with open arms by Chinese basketball fanatics. Through soaking up the culture of his new surroundings and revitalizing his on-court career, the Coney Island native was reborn.
Recently, I watched the documentary “A Kid From Coney Island,” — now available on Netflix — which shed a different light on Marbury’s supersonic rise from Abraham Lincoln High School standout to opinion-splitting NBA superstar to finally “The Michael Jordan of Chinese basketball.” His story was mostly told by family, friends and those who know him best. Once the setting shifted to China, Marbury appeared to speak to the audience for the first time. This is a man who is at ease in his mind and his soul.
Before watching the film, I thought I knew a lot about Marbury. I knew of his reputation as a New York City high school hoops prodigy, his triumphs alongside Kevin Garnett in Minnesota, his All-Star level play in New Jersey and Phoenix, the immediate electricity he brought to Madison Square Garden and the pitfalls that ended his NBA chapter.
After one hour and 35 minutes passed, I was left with a deeper understanding of Marbury’s journey and the challenges that he overcame. There was a time when Marbury was talked about in the same conversation as Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. Before being acquired by the Knicks in 2004, Marbury was the only player in NBA history besides Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson to own career averages of at least 20 points per game and eight assists per game.
In a short span of time, Marbury endured tremendous heartache and loss. He desired to lead his hometown Knicks to a resurgence. Instead, the famed franchise drifted into dysfunction. Off the court, he worked diligently to establish the Starbury sneaker and clothing line as an affordable alternative compared to Nike, Adidas and other industry giants. In 2009, the Starbury line was discontinued.
The 2007 death of his father, Don Marbury Sr., sank Stephon. It took the love of a budding basketball nation 6,800 miles away to lift his spirit.
Marbury’s rebirth has been breathtaking. The 43-year-old has found peace of mind and clarity in a new land, as China embraced him as one of its own. A life-size statue has been erected in his honor. His face is featured on Chinese postage stamps. A 300-square foot museum in Beijing documents his NBA career and three Chinese Basketball Association championships.
Nowadays, Marbury is imparting his wisdom as the head coach of the CBA’s Beijing Royal Fighters. The Starbury brand has also relaunched, once again offering sneakers in the $5-$25 range. His life has come full circle in an unexpected, extraordinary way.
The end of the documentary showed Marbury sitting down inside a Coney Island barber shop. A local boy named Xavier takes a seat to get his hair cut and speaks of his desire to play in the NBA. Marbury offers advice to the youngster, explaining to him that he doesn’t necessarily have to follow the path of basketball.
“You don’t have to play basketball, you could be the President of the United States,” Marbury explained to the child. “Nobody never told you that?”
Marbury’s journey is about more than basketball. It’s about growth, it’s about the human spirit’s ability to rebound against the forces of adversity and it’s about being unconfined. His idol, Bruce Lee, famously said to “empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water.”
Recently, Marbury made a large off-court assist by arranging to deliver millions of masks to New York City from China amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Unbound from the pressures of NBA superstardom and freed from the darkest depths of depression, Marbury is fulfilling his life’s purpose.
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