Marbury denies hitting fan

BEIJING - Agence France-Presse

Stephon Marbury is the most famous player to join the Chinese League. AFP

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury, the highest-profile player to join the Chinese Basketball Association, has denied he hit a fan when tempers flared at the end of a tense game in China.

The alleged victim was aired on Chinese television showing what he claimed were bruises inflicted by the former NBA star at the end of a game that saw Marbury’s Beijing Ducks lose to his former club Shanxi Brave Dragons on March 12.

“That never happened. I have no reason to punch somebody, especially a fan. I would never punch a fan in the face. That does not make any sense and I think that he is a liar,” Marbury said on television.

Marbury had been in top form in that game, scoring 25 points in the hotly-contested semifinal.

But the last minutes of the game were interrupted when Shanxi fans threw debris and water bottles onto the court, forcing the Beijing players to huddle together mid-court, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Marbury told AFP last year he was adjusting well to China.

The player writes a column for state-run newspaper China Daily and often speaks of his love for China and the domestic game. He is learning the language and has a tattoo of his Chinese name “Mabuli” across his forearm.