Stephon Marbury receives incredibly rare honor as new Chinese citizen

By Nick Schwartz
Published

Stephon Marbury's unceremonious exit from the NBA in 2009 was one of the best things to ever happen to his career. After becoming a basketball icon in China and winning three league titles with the Beijing Ducks, Marbury has now officially become a permanent resident of Beijing, an extremely rare honor. Marbury shared a video on his Weibo account of Zhang Jiandong, the vice mayor of Beijing, presenting him with the Foreigner's Permanent Residence Card. 

Green cards are difficult to obtain for foreigners, and according to Quartz only 5,000 foreigners have been granted permanent residence. Marbury is the first CBA player to receive a green card.

On Sunday, Marbury attended the Beijing International Film Festival. Marbury is set to star in a movie about his life alongside Korean pop star Jessica Jung titled New Yorker in Beijing, which chronicles his move to China and rise to fame.