Getty Stephon Marbury in Beijing
Before the Jason Kidd-era New Jersey Nets, the Nets had Stephon Marbury.
The Georgia Tech product, by way of Coney Island, Brooklyn and the borough’s Lincoln High School, Marbury was traded to the Nets in the late 90s after two and a half years spent with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Marbury-era Nets were cool on paper but they never really developed into real potential.
Injuries played a big role in their lack of development.
Jason Kidd & Stephon Marbury were traded for each other in 2001: t.co/LTk4EOMPhP
By 2005, Marbury was a Knick, Kidd was still a Net & Marbury said he was the best point guard in the NBA.
Media went crazy. Today Marbury explains why his statement was overblown.
Appearing on this week’s episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Stephon Marbury recounts his time with the Nets. Check out a snippet from our Q&A below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: You guys had Kenyon Martin on that team, your cousin Jamel Thomas played on that roster for a while; I think you guys made history by being related and playing on the same team…Stacks was on that team, Byron Scott was coaching that team. I think that team had a lot of names, but as you said they were hurt.
Stephon Marbury: Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn, and then they got Richard Jefferson so over time they started to get some more players. But you know, that’s basketball. That happens. Guys get hurt all the time. It just so happens that EVERYBODY got hurt. I mean, my starting center was Gheorghe Muresan [laughs]. By the second half, Big Gheorghe was hurt! Big Gheorghe couldn’t even run down the court by the time the second half came!
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Man you took me back because I forgot that he played on that team! The Nets did sign him briefly…
Stephon Marbury: [laughs] A lot of people forgot who was on the team. Mark Hendrickson, Jamie Feick –
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Scott Burrell –
Stephon Marbury: Yeah. Scott Burrell, Johnny Newman, Kendall Gill, Luscious Harris, Jim McIlvaine…
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: What is your fondest memory of your Nets days?
Stephon Marbury: My fondest memory? When the arena used to get crowded. [laughs]… Man, when the arena used to get packed. And it wasn’t often – the Lakers, the Knicks. It was crowded for about 3 or 4 games.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: The Knicks. You finally got a chance to play with them from 2004 to 2009. And you grew up on Surfside Gardens and you played like it was The Garden. When you played at Madison Square Garden, was it a dream come true and who was the first person you called when you got traded?
Stephon Marbury: I think I called my mom when I first got traded. You know, playing in New York the first year I was there – I mean, the first time I went, it was the dream come true. I’m a Knicks fan. I grew up a Knicks fan. I look outside. The name of the court is ‘The Garden’. So for me, this is life. This is everything that you dream of as a basketball player to be in this space and this position. And playing there, it was magical. Even during the tough times. Because The Garden is The Garden. There’s no player that makes up The Garden. The Garden makes up The Garden – not Patrick Ewing. Not Bernard King. Not nobody. It’s The Garden. It has its own identity – The Mecca.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Last question. Who is the BEST New York City point guard other than yourself to play in the NBA?
Stephon Marbury: Who’s the best point guard other than myself? Man, that’s a loaded question dude…You got Tiny Archibald, you got Kenny Anderson – you got so many point guards it’s not even funny. Khalid Reeves. It’s a gang of point guards. I mean, I don’t rate myself as the best point guard in New York. Not when you have guys like Tiny Archibald. That right there I mean, he was a MONSTER. It’s just that people don’t know about him.
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