Stephon Marbury set to receive AmCham China Pioneer Award

BEIJING, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AmCham China is proud to announce that basketball star Stephon Marbury is the winner of this year's Pioneer Award, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the US-China relationship. Marbury has embodied those principles since arriving in China in 2010, both through exemplary leadership on the basketball court, and through a range of entrepreneurial and philanthropic ventures off it.

Marbury has had a remarkable career during his 13 seasons in the NBA and eight seasons in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), during which he was twice named an NBA All-Star and won three CBA rings.

But it is off the court where Marbury has arguably made an even greater impact. He manufactures low-cost sneakers under his 'Starbury' brand, enabling millions of children to wear stylish and affordable shoes. Meanwhile, in 2014, Marbury was the first foreigner to be one of the Top 10 Model Citizens for Beijing due to his commitment to the Beijing community and his charity work.

"Since our breakthrough ping pong diplomacy in 1971, sports have played an important role to foster positive bilateral relations, and it's great to see Stephon carrying that torch," remarked William Zarit, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. "As we mark AmCham China's 100^th year as a chamber and also reflect on the 40^th anniversary of the normalization of US-China relations, it's a perfect time to reflect on the positive stories in our bilateral relationship, instead of obsessively focusing on the challenges."

Ahead of receiving the award, Marbury said, "It's such an honor to be recognized by the American business community here in China, which has truly become a second home to me. Today, more than ever, it's important to find ways to build bridges between the US and China, and I look forward to continuing that exploration. I'm retired from professional basketball, but I plan to stay actively engaged in China both through coaching and through a range of exciting business ventures – and hope to work with as many people in the US-China business community here as possible!"

Stephon Marbury will officially receive the AmCham China Pioneer Award at the chamber's 37^th Annual General Meeting on November 21.

For more information, please visit www.amchamchina.org

SOURCE AmCham China