Former NBA star Stephon Marbury has recently become a permanent resident of China after receiving his green card from the country's government this week.
The 39-year-old Marbury, a two-time NBA All-Star and three-time Chinese Basketball Association champion, announced the news in his Weibo social media account, as reported by Xinhuanet.
Beijing vice mayor Zhang Jiandong presented to him the Foreigner's Permanent Residence Card in a ceremony held at the China capital city on Monday.
The report mentioned that the Beijing Ducks point guard is "the first foreign player to get China's green card in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league's 21-year history".
It was also said that the "green card" is one of the most difficult certificates to acquire in the country as only about 5,000 of them have been released since 2004 when it was launched. For comparison, more than 600,000 non-nationals are now settled in the Far Eastern nation.
"I'm so thankful and blessed to receive my green card today from the Beijing Government. It's a true honor to be part of the capital of China. I hope I can not only help win more championships but continue to bring positive energy and love," Marbury said.
Marbury led the Ducks to three CBA titles in the past five years, winning the championship for the first time in 2011-2012, 4-1, against the Guangdong Southern Tigers. The team then won back-to-back titles in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, both pulling off 4-2 Finals series victories over Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Liaoning Flying Leopards respectively.
Meanwhile, Fox Sports indicated that Marbury is set to star in an autobiographical film titled "New Yorker in Beijing" together with Korean actress Jessica Jung. The movie will show his move to the Chinese capital and how he rose to fame in the said Asian city.
Marbury played 13 seasons in the NBA, suiting up for the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics in the said time span. He averaged 19.3 points and 7.6 assists during his impressive NBA career.
He has just finished his seventh season in the CBA, rising as arguably one of the best imports the Asian professional basketball league has ever had in history.