On Wednesday, August 30, native son of New York City, former NBA All-Star, and 3-time Chinese Basketball League Champion Stephon Marbury spoke with first-year students at Founders Hall. The discussion was facilitated by Founders Hall Faculty-Fellows-in-Residence, Clinical Associate Professor of Sports Management, David Hollander, J.D. and Clinical Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Michael Funk. E.D.
Marbury is now considered by many to be the most well-loved foreign athlete to ever play in China. After bringing the first championship to Beijing in 29 years, then winning 2 additional titles, the city has erected a statue of him, a museum and given him a green card, which is incredibly rare for foreigners. He recently won Best New Actor honors at the internationally renown Shanghai Film Festival, for his new film, “My Other Home,” about his own transition from
the U.S. to China and then winning the first Championship. The film also features former NBA stars Allen Iverson and Baron Davis and had a successful Chinese premiere, with the U.S. release date to be announced shortly. In 2016, Marbury also relaunched his shoe and apparel brand Starbury, which sells shoes with quality comparable to top athletic-ware companies but at lower prices. Starbury’s message is one of social responsibility. The company donates shoes to many communities in need, but also in creating a paradigm shift, partially in showing that athletes can successfully launch their own brands, but more importantly in supporting the needs of lower-income neighborhoods and working to reduce theft-related violence. In 2017, large American retailer Citi Trends signed a contract to offer Starbury at its stores.
