Marbury Released from Beijing Ducks, In Talks With New Clubs
By Connor Frankhouser
It is the end of an era for both the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and meteoric basketball superstar and China darling Stephon Marbury. According to a post on Marbury's Weibo account, the Beijing Ducks have voided the final year of Marbury's contract.
Uncertainty with the team’s direction, a potential relegation to a coaching staff position and an imminent rebuilding phase for the Beijing Ducks were the principal reasons behind scuttling the relationship that brought Marbury newfound fame in the final frame of his playing career and gifted the Ducks three CBA championships.
The Ducks and Marbury parted ways amicably with Marbury praising club ownership. Marbury also added that although he is committed to staying in the CBA for one last year and playing for a team other than Beijing, he is still grateful for the love the capital has showered upon him, stating: "No matter where I am, I am a beijinger [sic]. Beijing is my home forever. Thank you all for the understanding."
Marbury told ESPN subsidiary news outlet The Undefeated that he was looking to join an immediate contender, stating the break with the Ducks, amiable though it may be "...gives me strong desire to work hard and try my best to come back to help a team win a chip."
Potential landing spots for Starbury's final season are anyone's guess. Marbury's agent Wang Meng told the Associated Press that the venerable star will "definitely play one more year."
Any team signing Marbury to one of its two allotted slots for foreign players would enjoy a sizeable windfall of attention from foreign media that would undoubtedly accompany the star's farewell tour.
Currently, the Shenzhen Leopards (formerly the Dongguan Leopards) are the highest ranking team in the 2016-2017 standings to have an open foreigner roster spot. Longtime Leopards gunner, American-born point guard Bobby Brown is currently on a Houston Rockets squad looking to make a deep playoff run in the NBA with no intention to return to Shenzhen in sight.
After leading the CBA in scoring, ever-popular (yet oft-maligned) Jimmer Fredette is a threat to try to break back into the NBA, potentially leaving Shanghai with an open roster spot.
Marbury on the Sharks in his farewell season would escalate the Beijing/ Shanghai rivalry through the stratosphere and give the CBA a cant-miss storyline for the 2017-2018 season.
READ MORE: Stephon Marbury to Hang up Sneakers after 2017-18 CBA Season
[Images via The Undefeated, Yahoo, China.org.cn]
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