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Marbury joins rival Beijing team
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FORMER Beijing Ducks point guard and CBA Finals MVP Stephon Marbury has joined Beijing Enterprises Group Basketball Club — also known as the Beijing Beikong Fly Dragons, the 40-year-old said in a post on his official Weibo account yesterday.
In a video-post entitled “I’m staying home in Beijing!”, the American is seen posing with a newly signed contract, flashing the document towards the camera.
“My Chinese journey will open a new chapter,” Marbury said, posting a long article on Weibo later in the day. “This afternoon, I will formally sign a contract with Beikong club to play the 2017-2018 season for my beloved Beijing. This will be the last season of my 21-year career.”
Marbury, much beloved by basketball fans in the Chinese capital, spent six years with the Ducks since 2011 and won three Chinese Basketball Association championships with the team in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
The Ducks finished ninth in the 2016-17 regular season, failing to advance to the playoffs. The club announced in April that Marbury would no longer be playing for the team.
But the American expressed a strong desire to remain in the CBA, saying on his Weibo account that he was willing to take a 20-percent salary cut to play for the Ducks for one more season, which was unacceptable to the club.
Marbury’s new team, the Beijing Beikong Fly Dragons, finished only 17th in the 20-team CBA last season.
Still, the veteran star seemed contented enough with his new contract.
“It was a long two months deciding where to go,” Marbury wrote. “There were other opportunities but it’s hard to accept leaving Beijing to play for another city. Even though I am a 40-year-old veteran, I still have a lot of fuel left in my tank.”
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Sharks have secured 28-year-old American Nick Minnerath as their new foreign player for the 2017-18 season.
The power forward played for the Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Summer League in 2013 and 2014, respectively. He also appeared in three preseason games for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015. Before joining Shanghai, he was playing for Russian team Avtodor Saratov.
“As a power forward, Minnerath boasts outstanding physical condition and ability, and is also a three-point shooter,” the Sharks wrote in a statement on their official Weibo account. “We hope he will fit in with the team soon and perform well in the new season.”
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