The Next National Team Basketball Coach? Marbury Throws His Hat in the Ring

Former NBA legend Stephon Marbury might be taking his talents to the next level. In Shanghai, during the NBA 3X Finals, a 3v3 tournament, the Beijing Beikong Flying Dragons head coach publicly claimed that he wanted to take charge of the China Men's National Basketball Team. “Hopefully one day I can also help the Chinese national team players grow by becoming their coach. I know what they need,” said Marbury. 

The former point guard also made a reference to Shanghai-born Yao Ming, former NBA superstar and current head of the China Basketball Association (CBA). “By playing and coaching basketball in China, I hope to become an ambassador for Sino-US friendship, just like Yao Ming, when he was playing in the NBA,” added the American athlete. Yao Ming played nine seasons with the Houston Rockets and became a Hall of Famer, despite skepticism when he first arrived in the league. 

After a mixed career Stateside, Marbury came to China in 2010 and retired as a player in 2018 after just one year with the Beijing Beikong Flying Dragons. Rather than leaving the Dragons high and dry, however, he became their head coach. Prior to his joining, the Flying Dragons consistently placed last in the league, under Marbury's tutelage though, they managed to make the playoffs, eventually securing seventh place overall. 

After moving to China, Marbury became a household name in the association by winning three CBA championship in 2012, 2014, and 2015 with the Beijing Ducks, another franchise in the capital city, effectively shedding his reputation as a hard-to-manage player, which he had earned in the US. Enjoying his life in China, the former NBA athlete lived this new experience to the fullest, calling Beijing “his home.” He has been honored by the Beijing Ducks with a statue in front of the Wukesong Arena and even had his face on stamps in 2015 after securing a third championship.

If appointed, Marbury would be the fifth foreigner to lead the national team. Though it's usually a one-man job, over the past two years, two men have shared the position, with Du Feng coaching the Blue China Team and Li Nan the Red China Team. In 2018, Li was named head of the reunified team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup and will go on to lead the team at the Tokyo Olympics next year. 

For a man who already holds a Chinese green card, is an honorary citizen of the city of Beijing, and even has a museum dedicated to him, you would think there's little left for Marbury to accomplish here. Nevertheless, winning a medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer would only add to his fame within the Middle Kingdom. 

READ: Jeremy Lin Quits the Beijing Ducks After Just One Year to Rekindle His NBA Dream

Images: CGTN, China Daily