Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is a National Basketball Association player, currently with the New York Knicks. Nicknamed "Starbury", he has been heralded since his teenage years as the next great New York City point guard. He was highly touted in both high school and college as a future NBA superstar. After a successful freshman year playing for Georgia Tech, he declared for the 1996 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round (fourth pick overall) of the draft, then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the draft rights to Ray Allen and a future first-round pick. In his first season in the league, Marbury averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 assists per game and was named to the 1997 All-Rookie Team. Throughout his carrer, Marbury has played for Minnesota, the New Jersey Nets, the Phoenix Suns, and New York.

One of the premier point guards of the league, Marbury was an NBA All-Star in 2001 and 2003 and an All-NBA Third Team member in 2003. Known for his quickness, ball handling and inside scoring, he stands as only the second player in NBA history to have career averages of at least 20 points and 8 assists per game (Oscar Robertson was the first, with career averages of 25.7 points and 9.5 assists per game). However, at times he has been called a selfish player with a shoot-first, pass-second mentality, and many of the teams he has played for have been unsuccessful. However, with a trade to his hometown of New York City, he hopes to disprove that. Hopes are high that Marbury will lead the Knicks past the post-Patrick Ewing era and back among the league's elite teams.

Marbury also played for the United States (Dream Team IV) in the 2004 Summer Olympics, becoming a member of the first United States team comprised of NBA players that has failed to return home with an Olympic Gold Medal. He returned with a Bronze Medal.

External link

• NBA Profile for Stephon Marbury http://www.nba.com/playerfile/stephon_marbury/?nav=page