OKC Thunder: Stephon Marbury earns his nickname via charitable gesture
Former OKC Thunder player Sebastian Telfair’s cousin Stephon Marbury is earning his Starbury moniker with his efforts to cease the spread of COVID-19.
The inaugural season of the OKC Thunder was the last of Stephon Marbury‘s 13 campaigns in the NBA. The Georgia Tech guard became known as ‘Starbury’ and was a dynamic personality on and off the court.
His career statistics are solid with 19.3 points, 7.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds. The guard was selected to the1996 All-Rookie team amid a very deep group of future superstar guards. To wit, the 1996 class also featured Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, and Allen Iverson.
The enigmatic guard earned two All-NBA team honors and appeared in two All-Star Games highlighted by a huge comeback effort led by Marbury and Allen Iverson in 2001.
His cousin Sebastian Telfair briefly played for the OKC Thunder in the 2013-14 season.
Following his NBA career, he became a star in China where he played four seasons and is now the coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters.
His presence in China is proving to be beneficial as a source for the NBA. He’s been in touch with Adam Silver and told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated he reached out to the Commissioner in early March to advise of the serious nature of COVID-19.
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The CBA recalled all their North American and European players with hopes of returning to action this week. Instead, the league has imposed further delays due to the fear and uncertainty over asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.
This is significant as the CBA is serving as a test case for the NBA and their success or failure will influence how AdamSilver handles their own return.
While his experience in China is invaluable, he’s also dealing with his own serious situations in the States. Marbury has already lost a relative to the disease.
"I lost my cousin to this virus. My little cousin [former NBA guard] Sebastian [Telfair] has an older brother. We lost him two days ago. His mom is fighting for her life right now because of the virus. So, it’s pretty difficult in this trying time and staying on focus and trying to handle the things that I need to handle for my mom and them."
Speaking with Rachel Nichols of The Jump (as per the above video) Marbury discussed his endeavor to source N95 masks for his hometown.
His intent is to broker a deal of 10 million masks to New York since there is a real need, particularly with health care providers. Moreover, the costs of these masks are significantly less than the price stateside.
Of everything Marbury discussed in his interviews one point resonated more than any other – – the guard stated the need for every country to treat this pandemic in the same manner. If not, it allows the virus to continue to spread.
Hopefully, the heads of state will heed this advice and caution as failure to do so would allow this virus to live on much longer than necessary.
As always, stay safe and healthy everyone!
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For more information on the coronavirus please note the following sites and help line:
Oklahoma State Department Help Center: 877-215-8336
Oklahoma State – dedicated coronavirus site: click this link
The World Health Organization – click this link
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – click this link