A player impacting the game in any part of the world deserves acknowledgement. At least Isiah Thomas thinks so. Zeke believes that Yao Ming entered the Hall of Fame for influencing basketball in both China and the USA. He thinks the second player to have such an impact deserves the same honor. The 2x NBA champion standing firm on this thought has pushed for an ex-Minnesota Timberwolves star’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Appearing on an episode of ‘Game Time’, Thomas emphasized on Stephon Marbury’s eligibility for induction into the Naismith Memorial. “I’m speaking as a Hall of Famer; Stephon Marbury should be in the Hall of Fame,” he stated. The Detroit Pistons legend spotlighted Marbury’s cultural impact on basketball outside of the US. “But then he goes over to China, and he’s impacted basketball in China,” Isiah Thomas added.

“The only other person who has impacted basketball in China, in the US, to that (Ming’s) significance is Stephon Marbury. So Stephon Marbury should be in the Hall of Fame,” Zeke explained. Isiah Thomas further emphasized that he has been calling for this move for a long time and he will call for it once again.

Notably, Ming played for Shanghai Sharks of the CBA from 1997 to 2002. The 7’6″ tall player made his NBA debut with the Houston Rockets in 2002 and stayed with the franchise till 2011. Also, he was the first international player to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft (2002) without having played college basketball in the US. Ming even became the 6th CBA President. Marbury, however, had a reverse journey of moving from the NBA to the CBA. The influence, however, is said to be quite similar.

Stephon Marbury’s contributions to the NBA and the CBA

Marbury had admitted that the primary reason for heading to China was not basketball but a need for an outlet after his father’s death, which he found in China. “For me, when that happened, basketball was the furthest thing from my mind. Going to China was just another way to do things,” he had stated in an interview with The New Yorker. But little did the point guard know that he will find a new career path in the world’s second most populated country.

During his 7 seasons in the CBA, Marbury averaged 20.2 points per game, along with 5.5 assists and 49.5 field goal percentage. Notably, he won 3 championships in his first 4 years in the CBA. And he had impressive stats during his NBA career as well. Across his 17 seasons in the NBA, Marbury averaged 19.3 points per game, along with 7.6 assists per game. He entered the league as the 4th overall pick in 1996 and left with 2 NBA All-Star and 2 NBA Third-Team selections.

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Notably, Stephon Marbury also coached the CBA team Beijing Royal Fighters from 2019 to 2023. These stats and contributions to both the NBA and CBA supplement his eligibility for the Hall of Fame, as suggested by Isiah Thomas.

Stephon Marbury Needed Only 2 Words to Snub Everybody Except Michael Jordan for Ultimate Honor