Give Stephon Marbury credit. The dude is still a head case and he acted like a moron for most of his NBA career, but he has done well for himself playing basketball in China. Marbury signed with the Beijing Ducks last year, and this year he has led them to the CBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Tigers took a 1-0 series lead over Guangdong on Wednesday night.
Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated decided to profile the resurrection of Marbury’s basketball career. Their piece contained quotes from teammates and Chinese basketball insiders who say Marbury has made a genuine effort to connect and interact with the fans. Missing, however, were quotes from Marbury himself. Apparently those won’t come unless SI agrees to give him the cover.
Marbury’s relations with the American press remain as frayed as ever — he turned down multiple requests to speak with SI.com unless he was guaranteed the cover of Sports Illustrated — but he’s never been more popular among the fans in China.
From the sound of it, Starbury is still holding a grudge against the media in America. Plenty of negative things have been written about him, but when you say stuff like this you kind of get what you’re asking for. It will be interesting to see if SI caves if the Ducks go on to win the CBA championship.
Chest bump to Deadspin for the story
