Marbury signs with Foshan after Shanxi breakup

Just days after Shanxi Zhongyu suddenly declined to extend a roster spot to the three-time NBA All-Star, Stephon Marbury, this season, Marbury is all set to sign with Guangdong Foshan in a deal that will bring “The Lone Wolf” back to China for another year, according to Sina Sports.

Contrary to a story NiuBBall.com translated on Saturday, Marbury, after leaving Shanxi without a contract in hand, flew to Beijing to wait on a few pending offers from other CBA teams, ultimately deciding to join up with Foshan, who were practicing in the capital city.  According to the report, the team already has written up a contract and Marbury, expecting to sign something official soon, has already started to practice with the team.

Already having invested considerable time and energy into his business aspirations in China, Marbury unquestionably desires to remain in the country for the foreseeable future, as he has stated numerous times that he is committed to playing in the CBA as long as they’ll have him.

As a sign of goodwill, Marbury said he offered to fly out to China well before the start of the season to work out with the team in Shanxi, and was even willing to give up spending Thanksgiving with his family back in the U.S. if thats what needed to happen.

About his alleged demands for a five-star hotel and a personal chef, Marbury said that his requests weren’t far off from last year, when the team put him and Taylor up in one of the city’s nicest hotels after their first hotel didn’t have a Western restaurant.  He stated, as an American professional athlete living in a small city in China, it would be impossible to keep fit when the only Western options available are Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC, and that requesting a private chef wasn’t an unreasonable request.

Marbury also took time to address his fans, writing a public letter of thanks that appeared on several of China’s biggest internet sites, expressing gratitude for all the support he’s received from fans since his arrival last year, and to those who showed up at his hotel in Taiyuan after they found out that the team had cancelled his contract.

He concluded his letter by writing “I love you, Shanxi” and that they will meet again.

Foshan plays its season opener away at Bayi on December 12th before coming home on the 19th to play against… yep, Shanxi Zhongyu.