Former Wolves guard Stephon Marbury happy and successful in China

BEIJING – After a roller-coaster NBA career, Stephon Marbury has found peace in basketball-crazed China. The former Timberwolves point guard is thriving on the court with the Beijing Ducks while becoming one with his adopted hometown away from basketball.

He is so entrenched, he wants to one day coach China's national team.

"I plan on living here for the rest of my life," the 37-year-old Brooklyn native said in an interview in the lobby of his plush apartment building in the heart of Beijing. "I think they respect me enough to be able to give me the opportunity."

China is a world away from Marbury's life in the U.S., where he endured a string of disappointing stints with several NBA teams. But the two-time NBA All-Star has found his groove in Beijing, leading the Ducks to two Chinese Basketball Association championships. He is an unrivaled fan favorite and the team's on-court leader — the organization has even erected a statue of him in front of its arena.

Marbury has capitalized on the opportunities China offers to foreign basketball players and other athletes capable of adjusting to the considerable cultural, linguistic and culinary challenges of life in the rising Asian power. Already dominant at the Olympics and Asian Games, the world's second-largest economy is now undergoing a boom in professional sports stoked by foreign coaches and players.

"I don't make nowhere near the money that I made when I was playing in the NBA," Marbury said, "but I'm way happier."

A big part of Marbury's Chinese appeal has been his willingness to embrace local culture and make himself accessible to fans.

Marbury has been a vocal supporter of Guoan, Beijing's beloved local soccer team, and studied the graceful martial art of tai chi. He even took a stab at learning Chinese before a knee surgery threw him off his lessons.

He's also active on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. He wrote a column — "Starbury News" — in the English language China Daily newspaper, and if he had any negative feelings about China, he kept them to himself.

"Marbury was seen as a loner in America, but he's completely changed his image here in China. He's shown huge interest helping both his team and young people generally," said veteran Chinese sportscaster Xu Jicheng.

Fans have also connected with Marbury.

"Marbury is why we come to these games. He's the one who's really made them play like they never played before," said Ricky Chen, a 26-year-old Beijing office worker who rode 2 hours on the subway to catch a game with his girlfriend.

Other NBA All-Stars have given China a shot — including Metta World Peace, Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas — with varying degrees of success. But none embraced the country in the way Marbury has.

"It makes him one of the few CBA foreigners that aren't likely to be painted as mercenaries," said Andrew Crawford, whose website, Shark Fin Hoops, covers Chinese basketball. "He's the first foreigner in the CBA to make a huge and sustained deal out of how much he likes being in Beijing, and that means a lot."

Marbury believes he can play another two or three years but no matter what happens on the court — or with his coaching ambitions — he plans to keep China at the center of his life and career.

"I am forever indebted to this country for them helping change my life and my basketball career, and how I'm viewed in the world of basketball," he said.