• Stephon Marbury thinks James Harden playing in China would be good for basketball
• Marbury played in China for eights years and has been a coach for the Beijing Royal Fighters since 2019
• Marbury also said he expects Harden to get a big contract from an NBA team
James Harden made a surprising statement in China yesterday, saying he one day wants to play in the country due to the fanfare he receives. Stephon Marbury left the NBA to play nearly a decade in China and completely supports Harden possibly switching over.
“It’s always good to see guys from the NBA try China and play. It would be good for basketball to see James play in China. It’s basketball, it’s an opportunity to play. But I don’t think he’s coming. I think he’s gonna get another big contract in the NBA though.”
James Harden playing in China caught the eye of @StarburyMarbury. I called Marbury and asked his thoughts. Here's what he told @BallySports:
"It's always good to see guys from the NBA try China and play. It would be good for basketball to see James play in China. It's… pic.twitter.com/ucBebbvN4c
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 17, 2023
Marbury played for seven years with the Beijing Ducks after a 13-year NBA career where he was named an All-Star and an All-NBA player twice. Marbury retired in 2018 after playing one season with the Beijing Fly Dragons before becoming a head coach in 2019 of the Beijing Royal Fighters.
He averaged 29.5 points in his best season with the Ducks in 2012-13. He won three CBA Championships and was named Finals MVP in 2015.
Will James Harden Get Another Big-Money Contract?
James Harden could’ve had the first contract to pay $50 million annually if he signed the supermax extension when the Houston Rockets offered it in 2020. The Nets offered him the same in 2021, as he elected to decline the guaranteed money to keep movement flexibility. He used that flexibility to end up with the 76ers, who have finally called Harden’s bluff.
He may have requested a trade and called Daryl Morey a liar for not living up to contract promises, but it’s a situation he landed himself in. The 76ers aren’t really pressured into trading him to a team that’ll be desperate to re-sign him, so Harden may actually have to fight for a contract as a free agent next summer.
No team will offer him the supermax contract he once turned down, so it’ll be interesting to see if Harden could even match the contract that Fred VanVleet was offered this summer.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
