Classic tale of the old bull vs. the young calf. Stephon Marbury will not pass the Chinese basketball icon torch to Jimmer Fredette without a fight and a hard foul.
So some context here: In China, Stephon Marbury is a legitimate God. Starbury is such a legend in China, he has received the title of honorary Beijing citizen, his own series of stamps and even a statue outside his team’s arena. Marbury is a 3-time Chinese Basketball Association Champion, CBA Finals MVP, and 6-time CBA All-Star. And the dude was doing it all in his mid-to-late 30’s.
And then came Jimmer Fredette. In his second season in China, the 28-year-old BYU alum is putting up video game numbers. This past season he scored 73 points in a game and won the CBA’s International MVP Award after averaging 37.6 points per game for the Shanghai Sharks.
As recently as Friday, Fredette scored a 54-point triple-double, finishing with 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his second straight 50-point performance. This season, he’s AVERAGING 40 points a game. The dude already has a signature shoe in China and they’re kind of fire.
Marbury, who is widely considered to be the greatest foreign player to ever play in the CBA, will likely be eclipsed by Fredette, who could play for another decade in China.
[h/t CBS Sports]