| China is abuzz about basketball, with the NBA returning to the country for the first time since a social-media post about Hong Kong triggered a freeze in relations. Macau is getting ready to host a preseason game in October and Chinese rookie Hansen Yang at the Portland Trail Blazers is one of the breakout stars of the summer. We caught up with Stephon Marbury, former NBA All-Star (and three-time champion in China), to discuss his life in the city, the state of the game, the prospects for Yang — and for his former team, the New York Knicks. —Pei Li What made you decide to settle in Hong Kong after having lived in Beijing? Hong Kong has been a place I have come to for many years after I first came to China. I thought it was more like New York than any place that I've been to, as far as being an international melting pot. Me being a New York City kid, it's always apparent when you feel the same energy, because you always try to measure other cities against New York. I've been coming for a long period of time. I've been eating here. I have friends here who are from Hong Kong, people who moved from Beijing to Hong Kong. I'm very familiar with Hong Kong and now being a resident that's always a plus. It's always been a place to go, especially when you think about the international scene.  Stephon Marbury met with fans in Hong Kong. Photographer: Pei Li/Bloomberg You were beloved in Beijing because you embraced the culture and people saw you as being very down to Earth, hanging out with locals. Can you replicate that lifestyle in Hong Kong? I work with the NBA, doing activation, going to different events. We had a recent event where we had interaction with some fans, talking about the game and trying to develop our brand. We plan to do more in the community, doing outreach. That's something I'm hugely involved in — trying to give back also by utilizing basketball and giving kids the opportunity to play and learn more about our technology. The new season is just around the corner and everybody's talking about Hansen Yang. What is your prediction for his NBA adventure? I definitely think he'll be a player who has that opportunity to heighten his position. Him being picked at 16, that was pretty cool. I thought he would be a first-round pick. Some of my friends in the NBA were like "nah, nah." I told them, "You know, this guy's playing professional basketball already. It's not like he's playing high school ball." His body, his ability and his awareness — you can see it when he's playing. His passing ability is pretty, pretty extreme for a guy who's so young. It's pretty good to see a guy with his skills to be able to do that in his size.  Hansen Yang Photographer: Candice Ward/Getty Images The expectations are already high for him. Some people compare him to Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP. Do you see the similarities? He has the similarities, his passing ability, his ability to finish with his left hand and right hand, the hook shots, the blocked shots. At 7'2" (218 cm) he is a big body and having played professional basketball in the CBA will prepare him for the NBA. The NBA is dirty as well. Probably not as much as the CBA, but it's definitely dirty. It has some of the strongest guys in the world playing the game. I think for him, playing against guys like Jokic will be a test, but his ability will allow him to be able to play. What's the outlook for Knicks in the new season? What is your prediction? Yeah, yeah, go win the championship. That's what we want. | 
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