Stephon Marbury’s career took a turn for the worst after being dealt from Phoenix to New York in 2004
Eight seasons since he last played in the NBA, 40-year-old former All-Star Stephon Marbury is planning on a comeback, he announced on on social media Tuesday morning.
‘Yes, it’s true’ Marbury said in a video posted to his Instagram account. ‘An NBA comeback is coming. Love is love.’
The announcement comes as a surprise for several reasons, not least of which is the fact that Marbury unceremoniously left the NBA in 2009 after a disastrous tenure with his hometown New York Knicks and a short, forgettable stint with the Boston Celtics. More puzzling is the fact that the Brooklyn native announced a deal with the Beijing Fly Dragons in July, saying that the upcoming season, his 21st as a professional, would be his last.
The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season is shorter than the NBA’s, so Marbury could conceivably start the year in China only to sign with an NBA team sometime in early 2018.
‘I finally prayed about it and gave it major thought,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘I still have a lot of go in me as a player and at 40 being able to play at a high level is a gift. Being able to stay mentally focused and physically fit takes a different type of discipline. I’m motivated to make this the best year of my career as I end a 21 year long journey in the game I love.’
Marbury (left as a member of the New York Knicks, and right as a member of the Beijing Ducks) won three CBA titles and was named to six All-Star teams after moving to China in 2010
Truthfully, Marbury thrived in China since leaving the NBA after the 2009 season, winning three CBA titles, making six All-Star teams, and was even honored with a statue built in his likeness. And to many, his move to China seemed like a positive ending for a turbulent NBA career in which he averaged nearly 20 points a game but failed to lead any of his five teams deep into the playoffs.
Marbury’s time with the Knicks was particularly turbulent. The Coney Island native was involved in public feuds with a number of people, including former Knicks coach Larry Brown, former Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas, and with the New York media.
In 2007, amidst a $10 million sexual harassment suit of filed by fired former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders against Madison Square Garden, an MSG intern testified that she had sex with Marbury in the back seat of an SUV. Marbury was not accused of any wrongdoing and was never charged with a crime.
ESPN’s Marc Spears speculated on Twitter Tuesday that Marbury could return to the Knicks, to which Marbury quickly responded: ‘Clever you are!’
A year ago, however, Marbury was asked by a Twitter follower about a possible return to New York, to which he responded, ‘Not at Gun point!!’
The Knicks eventually released Marbury during the 2008-09 season, and he ultimately played his final 23 NBA games in Boston, where he was relegated to a backup role.
Despite the bad press, Marbury is known for being charitable in New York, making seven-figure donations to the New York Police Department, New York Fire Department, and the New York City Teacher’s Fund.
Unfortunately, Marbury told police that he had a 24-inch diamond necklace worth $150,000 stolen from him at gunpoint in Manhattan in 2000, when he was still a member of the New Jersey Nets.
In July, Marbury announced he was leaving the Beijing Ducks for the Beijing Fly Dragons, but those plans seem to have changed following his comeback announcement
Marbury had a contract with the Beijing Ducks that would have allowed the team to make him an assistant coach for the upcoming season, but that deal was ultimately terminated, allowing Marbury to sign with the crosstown Fly Dragons.
It’s not quite clear if Marbury still plans on playing with the Fly Dragons.
Stephon Marbury was taken fourth overall in the 1996 NBA draft after an impressive season at Georgia Tech. He was named to his first All-Star team in 2001 as a member of the Nets