MY OTHER HOME IS BEIJING
Former NBA star Stephon Marbury talks about new biopic, new season and new career
Friday is a big day for Stephon Marbury, as this is the day that
My Other Home, a biopic about why the former NBA player moved to China to continue his basketball career and how he made a name for himself in the country. The choice of title was deliberate as Marbury wanted to deliver the message that he sees China, and Beijing in particular, as his home away from home.
Talking to the Global Times in an e- mail interview, the CBA MVP said that he felt “lucky and honored” to play himself in the fi lm, which he described as a “great opportunity.”
Directed by Yang Zi, who also wrote the screenplay, My Other Home follows Marbury after he makes the bold choice to move to China to compete in the CBA during a low point in his career and shows the challenges he faced as a result of that decision both on and off the court.
Marbury has performed quite well during his time with the CBA. He has been named MVP three times and helped his team, the Beijing Ducks, win three CBA championship trophies. Off the court, the basketball star has won himself a large number of fans in China, who call him “Old Ma” or “Political Commissar Ma.” Marbury has even entered the social media arena, where he boasts a large number of followers. On Sina Weibo alone he has attracted 4.3 million followers. In 2014, he was named a Beijing Honorary Citizen by the Beijing Municipal Government. A year later, he received a Chinese “green card,” or permanent residence permit, becoming the fi rst active CBA player to obtain the permit.
Remarking on the screenplay, Marbury said that Yang covered almost everything that he wanted to share with audiences and that he didn’t ask the director to add anything special to the storyline. In addition to starring as himself in the fi lm, he also contributed behind the scenes by training fellow actors to help prepare them for
the basketball scenes and also weighed in on game tactics.
The movie also stars Bruneian Chinese actor Chun Wu and Korean American actress Jessica Jung, as well as NBA stars Allen Iverson and Baron Davis.
Aware of the fi erce competition that takes place during China’s summer box- offi ce season, Marbury was cautious about predicting how the fi lm will fare.
“It is hard to say,” he wrote. “But I believe our hard work will pay off .”
At a press conference on June 30, Marbury announced that he would be playing with the Beijing Fly Dragon for his last season. Speaking of his career with the Global Times, the player said he was “glad to end it in my beloved Beijing. I will do my best to lead the team to fi ght for the championship.”
Speaking of the CBA and NBA it is hard to avoid talking about China’s Yao Ming, who this year was named CBA chairman. Marbury weighed in on what he thought of his fellow NBA and CBA star.
“Yao knows the NBA and CBA pretty well. He is the one who can bring changes and magic to CBA games,” he wrote, noting that he is sure that the CBA will grow into a more professional association under Yao’s leadership.
After the 2017- 18 CBA season comes to an end, Marbury will be walking away from playing basketball.
He said that he is currently considering moving on to coaching, or maybe continuing to explore his new acting career.