Just days after Shanxi Zhongyu suddenly declined to extend a roster spot to the three-time NBA All-Star, Stephon Marbury, this season, Marbury is all set to sign with Guangdong Foshan in a deal that will bring “The Lone Wolf” back to China for another year, according to Sina Sports.
Contrary to a story NiuBBall.com translated on Saturday, Marbury, after leaving Shanxi without a contract in hand, flew to Beijing to wait on a few pending offers from other CBA teams, ultimately deciding to join up with Foshan, who were practicing in the capital city. According to the report, the team already has written up a contract and Marbury, expecting to sign something official soon, has already started to practice with the team.
Already having invested considerable time and energy into his business aspirations in China, Marbury unquestionably desires to remain in the country for the foreseeable future, as he has stated numerous times that he is committed to playing in the CBA as long as they’ll have him.
Meanwhile, Marbury rejected claims made by Shanxi general manager, Zhang Aijun, that his poor conditioning, unreasonable contract demands and a perceived interest in running his “Starbury” brand business over playing basketball prevented the team from being able to come to a practical arrangement, while also stating he had in fact signed his name on a contract during the summer, and that Shanxi breached the agreement.
Speaking to Titan Sports, Marbury denied a quote from Zhang that said he threatened to leave the club if they weren’t going to sign his teammate from last year, Maurice Taylor, as their second import, clarifying that he had only suggested Taylor as a possible option for a team lacking a solid frontcourt presence. He also explained that although his “Starbury” business cooperations with the team had been agreed upon during the summer, he was willing to be patient about developing his line of shoes, as it was secondary to his on-court obligations.
Marbury also defended not playing with Shanxi while the team was training and playing in exhibition games in Las Vegas in October and November, stating that like most NBA players preparing before the season, he was limiting himself from five-on-five basketball in favor of strength training and individual workouts, and thus wasn’t physicall prepared to play in scrimmages as a result. As a sign of goodwill, Marbury said he offered to fly out to China well before the start of the season to work out with the team in Shanxi, and was even willing to give up spending Thanksgiving with his family back in the U.S. if thats what needed to happen.
About his alleged demands for a five-star hotel and a personal chef, Marbury said that his requests weren’t far off from last year, when the team put him and Taylor up in one of the city’s nicest hotels after their first hotel didn’t have a Western restaurant. He stated, as an American professional athlete living in a small city in China, it would be impossible to keep fit when the only Western options available are Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC, and that requesting a private chef wasn’t an unreasonable request.
Marbury also took time to address his fans, writing a public letter of thanks that appeared on several of China’s biggest internet sites, expressing gratitude for all the support he’s received from fans since his arrival last year, and to those who showed up at his hotel in Taiyuan after they found out that the team had cancelled his contract. He also accused the team of not only deceiving himself, but for the season ticket holders who spent thousands to see a full-slate of home games this year. He concluded his letter by writing “I love you, Shanxi” and that they will meet again.
Foshan plays its season opener away at Bayi on December 12th before coming home on the 19th to play against… yep, Shanxi Zhongyu. I’m guessing Marbury will have a point to make in that one.
11/29/2010 2:41 PM
