Stephon Marbury

infobox NBA Player
name = Stephon Marbury
nickname = Starbury


caption =
position = Point guard/Shooting guard
height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2
weight_lbs = 205
league = NBA
team = New York Knicks
number = 3
birth_date = birth date and age|1977|2|20
birth_place = Brooklyn, New York
nationality = USA
highschool = Abraham Lincoln HS
college = Georgia Tech
draft = 4th overall
draft_year = 1996
draft_team = Milwaukee Bucks
career_start = 1996
former_teams = Minnesota Timberwolves (1996–1999)
New Jersey Nets (1999–2001)
Phoenix Suns (2001–2004)
awards = 2-time NBA All-Star
(2001, 2003)
All-NBA Third Team
(2000, 2003)
NBA All-Rookie First Team
(1997)
NCAA AP All-America Third Team
(1996)

Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed Starbury, is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The height|ft=6|in=2|wiki=yes, convert|205|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=on point guard/shooting guard was selected out of the Georgia Institute of Technology by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was an NBA All-Star in 2001 and 2003 and was voted into the All-NBA Third Team in 2000 and 2003. He is known for his quickness, ball handling, flashy moves and perimeter scoring. He has also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets and Phoenix Suns.

Early years

Marbury has often gone by the nickname "Starbury", a name created during his youth. Marbury, the sixth of seven children, was born and raised on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City. He attended elementary school PS 238. During his teenage years, he starred at NYC powerhouse Lincoln, and was often heralded as the next great NYC point guard, expected to follow the success of NBA stand-outs Mark Jackson and Kenny Anderson.

While still attending Abraham Lincoln High School he was one of the subjects of Darcy Frey's book "The Last Shot," which followed three seniors and Marbury, a freshman, through the early months of his first season with the school's team. In high school he played for the nationally recognized AAU team, the New York Gauchos, out of the Bronx.

College recruitment

He was named a 1995 McDonalds All-American along with future NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Antawn Jamison. Marbury was listed as one of the top five recruits in the country that year and heavily pursued by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets coach Bobby Cremins. Eventually, Marbury would commit to Georgia Tech.

College career

At Georgia Tech, Marbury took over the starting point guard role left vacant with Travis Best's departure. [cite news|first=Simit|last=Shah|url=http://technique.library.gatech.edu/issues/fall1995/nov10/sports3-s.html|title=Marbury latest member of Tech point guard tradition|work=The Technique|date=1995-11-10|accessdate = 2007-05-22] Teaming with future NBA players Matt Harpring and Drew Barry, Marbury led Georgia Tech to a 24–12 record enroute to the Regional Semifinal game of the NCAA tournament, where the Yellow Jackets lost to Cincinnati 87–70. For the season, Marbury averaged 18.9 ppg and 4.5 assists and was named a Third Team All American by the Associated Press, along with several conference honors. Following the conclusion of the season he announced his intention to declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.

NBA career

Early professional career

He was selected fourth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1996 NBA Draft, then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the draft rights to Ray Allen (who was drafted immediately after him) and a future first-round pick. In his first season in the league, Marbury averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 assists per game and was named to the 1997 All-Rookie Team. He, along with Kevin Garnett, led the Timberwolves to the NBA Playoffs in 1997 and 1998. Marbury fell out with Timberwolves management stemming from a dispute with coaches about his role in the offense, and his agent David Falk demanded a trade during the lockout-shortened 1999 season, Marbury was traded to the New Jersey Nets in a three-way trade in which Terrell Brandon was sent from Milwaukee to Minnesota and Sam Cassell was sent from New Jersey to Milwaukee.

New Jersey and Phoenix

While in New Jersey, Marbury blossomed into an All-Star. He made the All-NBA 3rd Team in 2000 and was selected as a reserve for the 2001 All-Star Game, where he made 2 crucial 3s to win the game. Despite his individual achievements, he never made the playoffs as a member of the Nets. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the 2001 offseason for Jason Kidd. Teamed with standout players such as Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, Marbury helped the Suns qualify for the playoffs in 2003. In the opener of Western Conference first round series, Marbury banked in a 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer which stunned the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, 96–95. However, this would still not be enough to get the playoff series victory Marbury has still failed to accomplish to this day. To add to matters, Stoudemire became injured in the beginning of the 2003-2004 season, and Phoenix struggled to a 3–15 start.

New York

Marbury, along with Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski, were traded to the New York Knicks on January 5, 2004 for Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess, Maciej Lampe, draft rights to Milos Vujanic, a first-round 2004 draft choice, and an additional future first-round draft choice, likely to be in the 2010 draft. [cite web |url=http://realgm.com/src_future_draftpicks.php#utah |title=NBA Draftpicks Owed – Utah |accessdate=2008-05-22] This brought Marbury full circle, as he grew up in New York and was a lifelong Knicks fan. He made an immediate impact, leading a Knicks team in transition to the playoffs on the strength of his performances.

Marbury played for the U.S. (Dream Team IV) in the 2004 Summer Olympics, the first of the U.S. teams composed of NBA players to fail to win the gold medal. He and his teammates returned with bronze. Despite the disappointment, Marbury scored a U.S. team Olympic record 31 points in a game against Spain.

During the 2005-06 season Marbury feuded with head coach Larry Brown.

Towards the end of the 2005-2006 season, the Knicks' poor performance combined with Marbury's public spats with his coach led to a severe decline in Marbury's popularity, with Frank Isola and Michael O'Keefe of the "New York Daily News" stating that Marbury is "the most reviled athlete in New York." [cite news | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/400850p-339607c.html | title = www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/400850p-339607c.html | accessdate = 2007-07-05]

The public feud between Marbury and Brown was one of the reasons Larry Brown was fired at the end of the 2005-06 season. [cite news | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2496106 | title = Knicks fire Brown, name Thomas new coach | publisher = ESPN.com | date = June 23, 2006 | accessdate = 2007-07-05] Isiah Thomas took over the coaching role and the Knicks were slightly more successful during the 2006-2007 season, surpassing the previous year's 23 wins 54 games into their 82-game season before falling off and finishing with only 33. Despite the fact that Marbury had less impressive statistics than in prior years, some pundits claimed that Marbury's newfound unselfishness was key to the team's apparent improvement towards the end of the season.

The start of the 2007-08 season found the Knicks again floundering and Marbury again involved in a public feud, this time with Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas. The pivotal incident involved Marbury leaving the team after learning that Thomas planned to remove him from the starting lineup. There were reports that Marbury and Thomas actually came to blows on the team plane, and that Marbury threatened to blackmail Thomas for taking him out of the starting lineup—both in the presence of Knick teammates. Following the incident and Marbury's return to the team in mid-November after one missed game, Knick fans consistently chanted "fire Isiah" at home games and constantly booed virtually all of the Knicks, especially Marbury. The dysfunction and drama were accompanied by 8 straight Knicks losses, and several newspapers reported that Isiah's job was in jeopardy. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/sports/basketball/24rhoden.html] There were also rumors that the Knicks would like to trade Marbury to another team. However, this proved difficult for the Knicks to accomplish, in view of the two years and approximately $42 million remaining under his contract with the Knicks. Following a season-ending ankle surgery in February 2008, which was reportedly deemed unnecessary by the team, but which Marbury elected to undergo regardless, Isiah Thomas hinted that Marbury could have played his final game in a Knicks uniform. However, in April 2008, it was Thomas who was removed from his position; first as president, being replaced by Donnie Walsh, [cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/sports/basketball/19knicks.html?ex=1366257600&en=a79f30c4ecc6ff43&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | title = Thomas Won’t Coach, but He Stays With Knicks | accessdate = 2008-04-19] and then as coach, being replaced by Mike D'Antoni. [cite news | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3389987 | title = Sources: D'Antoni accepts offer, chooses Knicks over Bulls | accessdate = 2008-05-10]

Personal

Marbury is the cousin to Marcus Harper and Sebastian Telfair.

He Got Game, a 1998 drama-sports film directed by Spike Lee, is loosely based on Marbury's life. His name is even mentioned in the film as a great basketball player who was able to make it out of Coney Island.

Marbury is on the cover of the Midway video game "NBA Ballers".

Marbury is also known to count many non-basketball celebrities among his friends. The point guard has been spotted hanging out with entertainers Ja Rule and Nick Cannon, [cite web|url=http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?cgl=56913&evntI=0|title=Ja Rule, Stephon Marbury and Nick Cannon at Darcy - New York |date =March 29, 2004|accessdate = 2007-07-05] as well as members of the New York based rap group Terror Squad and its leader, Fat Joe. In 2003 and 2004 Marbury led Joe's Terror Squad team to the championship of Fat Joe's annual streetball competition, The Entertainer's Basketball League.

He has been named to The Sporting News list of "Good Guys in Sports" three times.

In 2006, Marbury partnered with Steve & Barry's to promote a line of shoes and clothing bearing his nickname, "Starbury". Understanding the pressure that inner-city kids face to spend $150–200 on footwear sold by other companies such as Nike, Reebok, and Adidas, his line of shoes sells for $14.98. He wore these shoes on court for the entirety of 2006-07 season. [cite news | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2551942 | title = 'Starbury' for less: Marbury to endorse cheap kicks | publisher = Associated Press | date = August 16, 2006 | accessdate = 2007-07-05] Marbury is not paid directly to endorse the shoes, but is compensated based on sales of the shoes. Now, Marbury has promised to give out a free pair of Starburys to every high school varsity basketball player in New York City.

In 2007, Marbury made controversial public statements defending Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and dogfighting. Marbury was quoted in "Newsweek" magazine as saying, "We don't react the same when other animals are being killed for sport or for the sake of human pleasure." [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20439281/site/newsweek/ Perspectives: Quotes in the News - Newsweek Perspectives - MSNBC.com ] ] Many people supported Marbury in his statement, while many others, mostly hunting enthusiasts, derided him.

Marbury has been in the news relating to Isiah Thomas' sexual harassment trial. One witness claimed that Marbury sexually abused a team intern; but the intern later testified that the sex was consensual. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3034175 ESPN - MSG exec, employee refute claims by Browne Sanders - NBA ] ] Marbury, a married father, testified that he had sex with the intern in his truck after a group outing to a strip club in 2005.

During a December 2, 2007 game between the Knicks and the Phoenix Suns, Marbury's father, Don Marbury died. A team spokesman said no other information was immediately available, other than Don Marbury was not at Madison Square Garden when he died. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-12-03-suns-knicks_N.htm Suns stifle Knicks behind Hill; Marbury's father dies] , December 2, 2007]

In March 2008, WWE superstar Montel Vontavious Porter said in an interview that he based his wrestling persona on Marbury. M.V.P. said he had an encounter with Marbury when he was a doorman at a club. [cite web|url=http://www.24wrestling.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1206652380&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&|title=MVP's Gimmick Based Off NBA Player Stephon Marbury|accessdate = 2008-04-04]

NBA career statistics

Regular season

-
align="left" | 1996–97
align="left" | Minnesota
67 || 64 || 34.7 || .408 || .354 || .727 || 2.7 || 7.8 || 1.0 || .3 || 15.8
-
align="left" | 1997–98
align="left" | Minnesota
82 || 81 || 38.0 || .415 || .313 || .731 || 2.8 || 8.6 || 1.3 || .1 || 17.7
-
align="left" | 1998–99
align="left" | Minnesota
18 || 18 || 36.7 || .408 || .205 || .724 || 3.4 || 9.3 || 1.6 || .3 || 17.7
-
align="left" | 1998–99
align="left" | New Jersey
31 || 31 || 39.8 || .439 || .367 || .832 || 2.6 || 8.7 || 1.0 || .1 || 23.4
-
align="left" | 1999–00
align="left" | New Jersey
74 || 74 || 38.9 || .432 || .283 || .813 || 3.2 || 8.4 || 1.5 || .2 || 22.2
-
align="left" | 2000–01
align="left" | New Jersey
67 || 67 || 38.2 || .441 || .328 || .790 || 3.1 || 7.6 || 1.2 || .1 || 23.9
-
align="left" | 2001–02
align="left" | Phoenix
82 || 80 || 38.9 || .442 || .286 || .781 || 3.2 || 8.1 || .9 || .2 || 20.4
-
align="left" | 2002–03
align="left" | Phoenix
81 || 81 || 40.0 || .439 || .301 || .803 || 3.2 || 8.1 || 1.3 || .2 || 22.3
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Phoenix
34 || 34 || 41.6 || .432 || .314 || .795 || 3.4 || 8.3 || 1.9 || .2 || 20.8
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | New York
47 || 47 || 39.1 || .431 || .321 || .833 || 3.1 || 9.3 || 1.4 || .1 || 19.8
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | New York
82 || 82 || 40.0 || .462 || .354 || .834 || 3.0 || 8.1 || 1.5 || .1 || 21.7
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | New York
60 || 60 || 36.6 || .451 || .317 || .755 || 2.9 || 6.4 || 1.0 || .1 || 16.3
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | New York
74 || 74 || 37.1 || .415 || .357 || .769 || 2.9 || 5.4 || 1.0 || .1 || 16.4
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | New York
24 || 19 || 33.5 || .419 || .378 || .716 || 2.5 || 4.7 || .9 || .1 || 13.9
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
823 || 812 || 38.2 || .434 || .326 || .785 || 3.0 || 7.8 || 1.2 || .1 || 19.7
-
align="left" | All-Star
align="left" |
2 || 0 || 16.5 || .500 || .400 || .500 || .5 || 5.0 || .0 || .0 || 8.0
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Playoffs

-
align="left" | 1996–97
align="left" | Minnesota
3 || 3 || 39.0 || .400 || .300 || .600 || 4.0 || 7.7 || .7 || .0 || 21.3
-
align="left" | 1997–98
align="left" | Minnesota
5 || 5 || 41.8 || .306 || .280 || .783 || 3.2 || 7.6 || 2.4 || .0 || 13.8
-
align="left" | 2002–03
align="left" | Phoenix
6 || 6 || 45.3 || .375 || .227 || .758 || 4.0 || 5.7 || 1.2 || .0 || 22.0
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | New York
4 || 4 || 43.5 || .373 || .300 || .680 || 4.3 || 6.5 || 1.8 || .0 || 21.3
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
18 || 18 || 42.9 || .365 || .276 || .725 || 3.8 || 6.7 || 1.6 || .0 || 19.4
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

External links

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