Author: christinaragin

Every one is very familiar with NBA star, Stephon Marbury, one of the countries best players. While Stephon was in the limelight, his younger brother, Zach Marbury was left in the shade.  Zach was born February 4^th, in New York. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School for his freshman year, which landed him on the top player list in the country. He later attended Crossland High School, in Maryland for his junior year, and then transferred to a private school in New Milford, Connecticut. “I did not want to move, but my brother bought my mother a house in Maryland. I wanted to stay, but she didn’t want me to stay behind living in the projects, while my brother was in New York. I was like her precious jewel. I was sad as fuck!” He muttered. When he moved to LA, he played for UCLA. “My best memory was playing in UCLA. I was hanging out with other players, especially Kevin Garnet. He practically raised me. I was always at his house.”

After playing at UCLA, he went to the University of Rhode Island and played there for two years. He left college early to enter the NBA draft in 2001. He states he did not feel confident that day, due to the fact he injured his foot. “Maybe if I didn’t hurt my foot, I would have gotten drafted.” At age 21, Marbury had to get his bones removed and reconstructive surgery on his left ankle. It took him two years to heal. A couple of years later, he got a staph infection in his back. “I wasn’t able to run for six months.”

Marbury was faced with many obstacles and challenges in his life, including the loss of his father. Marbury’s father was sick and needed a new kidney. “My brother was going to pay a lady one million for her kidney, but her kidney went bad, I guess,” he states. He was playing in China in the CBA, for the Atlanta Krunk, when his sister called with the news. His sister was told him to catch a flight back home, but he had a game the very next day. “I remember talking to my mother and she was telling me to stay and play. Your father would want you too. I scored sixteen points that game and flew home the next day. I was happy he was in a better place because my father was always yelling and energetic in the stands and he could not do that anymore because he was sick. I mean, everybody yells, even the fans. The media claimed my dad was a bad person because he was mean. I mean, yeah, he was mean, but he went hard for their kids. What parent wouldn’t fight for his kids?” Marbury even had a conversation with his friend, Kenny Anderson. “I remember having a phone conversation with Kenny and he actually lost his mother. I couldn’t imagine losing my mother. She’s my backbone, so I knew it was hard for him.”

After the loss of his father, Marbury became very focused. “I had to just keep going,” he stated. He became the number one player, when he played in Venezuela. He played in the NBA summer league with the Portland Trailblazers, in the year 2002. He was a three-time champion at Rucker Park in Harlem. “That was like the NBA All Star team.” He said excitedly. He was the youngest one on the team, playing with NBA stars, such as his brother Stephon, Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, Shawn Marion, Al Harrington and many others. His brother won MVP the three years they played together at the Rucker. The closest he got to the league after the NBA draft in 2001 was when he played in the New York Knicks Summer League. He got an opportunity to play for the Sacramento Kings, thanks to his mentor Kenny Smith, but he did not make the team. “It was a blessing to be talked about for the team. When I talked to Kenny Smith, he was telling me don’t consider yourself a failure. You did not fail. My chances were limited, thanks to the media. They said my brother was a bad person. I mean, he did a lot of bad things in his life, but he wasn’t a bad person. I got penalized for shit like that.”

A longtime friend, by the name of Bethania Rincon met Marbury about 14 years ago. She was walking pass a gas station along the way and thought she heard someone calling her name. “I stopped walking and when he walked up to me I said ‘you was calling my name?’ He said no but I would like to have one of those phone numbers that’s on your waist.” She laughs. “It was funny because I can’t seem to remember now why I had two phones on my waist!” Rincon knew he was somebody important, but she did not know his occupation, until he invited her to one of his practices. “When I saw his tattoos, I noticed one that said ‘Marbury.’ I got so excited. Like oh my god! Marbury? This is Stephon Marbury’s brother? Really!”

From that day on for a few years, they had a close, yet open relationship. She states he was very stuck up at times, but treated her very nice, as if he had a soft spot for her.  “He would fly me to Atlanta or LA at least twice a month. I enjoyed my moments I spent with him.” Even though they had a few falling outs throughout the years, she feels he is the sweetest person. “He will always have a special place in my heart. I will forever love him.”

The media and a few online articles state that Marbury did not get drafted, due to the fact he was comfortable in his brother’s shadow. He was into the party life too much and was a young rich kid. “I was into partying because that’s what I was around. I would go to my brother’s house and hang out and party with Allen Iverson. I was a young, rich kid. My brother was worth seven million. Who wouldn’t be into partying living like that.” Despite all the rumors, Marbury was just a young man with all this talent, but he was not motivated. “At 28, you start to understand how life is what YOU do, not what it can help you do. Your talent and time flies and you don’t even realize it.” Today, he understands life better than what he did at age 19. “My biggest regret is not really focusing and locking it in. Plus, I didn’t even have an agent. I didn’t have anybody to really represent me. Stephon did. He fed off of seeing the family. That’s what made him become one of the best players. I didn’t have that as much as he did.” Now, he helps children who are poor or whose parents cannot financially support them. He gives out book bags and trains kids in basketball. “I’m still looking for an opportunity. I still believe I can take off. Me, playing, will show the kids you cannot give up.”