Stephon Marbury shows his skills during a CBA game. (Photo : Twitter)
Basketball star and former NBA player Stephon Marbury announced that he is parting ways with the team that gave him the break in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Disagreement
Marbury made the announcement through a letter he posted for Chinese basketball fans via Weibo.
He said that he and the Beijing Ducks came to the decision after both sides were not able to come to an agreement as to what his new role in the team would be, Yahoo Sports reported.
In the letter, Marbury explained that he turned down an offer to serve as an assistant coach for the Ducks due to the uncertainty whether the team will bring back Min Lulei as head coach. Min was responsible for bringing the team to three championships.
Under his contract, the Ducks has the option to choose whether Marbury returns as a player or a coach for the next seasons. The 40-year-old star said that he wanted to return as a full-time player for the last year of his contract.
But as the Ducks were reportedly in the process of rebuilding its roster, the team was unwilling to use one of its two foreign player slots for him. As a compromise, the team offered Marbury the role of player-coach with a reduced salary, which he earlier rejected.
The Ducks were not able to make it into the playoffs last season.
Still looking for a new team
During his 15-year NBA career, Marbury played for several teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks.
Following his short stint with the Boston Celtics in 2009, he moved to the CBA, playing for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons and the Foshan Dralions before joining the Ducks for six seasons.
Marbury said that he respects the decision made by the team, adding that the team and the city are still dear to his heart.
He also said that he still hasn't decided on a new team to sign up for, Shanghaiist reported.
