Stephon Marbury may be inimitable, but the star point guard’s fans will soon be able to walk a literal mile in his shoes. On January 30 Yibada reported that the beloved Beijing Ducks player promised via Twitter his line of “Starbury” sneakers will arrive in stores “real soon.”
Better still: the shoes will be priced at a premium USD15. Marbury says that low price is meant to offset the rampant thievery and elitism in sneaker culture, in which footwear like esteemed Air Jordans are a much coveted status symbol. Those pricier sneakers— which came courtesy of legendary player Michael Jordan and set a new standard for shoe fashion— are creating an urgent demand for reasonably priced alternatives, according to Marbury.
The New York Post drew parallels between the sneakers and Marbury’s career, saying his own brand of shoes first hit the market in 2006 when he was a player the New York Knicks. He failed to live up to the hype of “the next great NYC point guard” that insiders had billed him as, averaging only 17.6 points during his entire 2003-2008 stay with the top tier team. He wore the shoes himself on the court as a testament to their quality. It was all to little avail though— Steve & Barry’s, the company backing Marbury’s sneaker investment, filed for bankruptcy.
But now that Marbury has revived his career in Beijing, arguably becoming the most popular basketball player in China, it seems like the perfect time to give his “Starbury” shoes another shot at glory.
Photos: Courtesy of the New York Post, Yibaba
