Stephon Marbury Breaks It Down, Breaks Down, on Ustream

Updated: I tragically missed Stephon Marbury’s lifecast last Friday — mainly because I didn’t know who Marbury was at the time. But the NBA free agent (that’s basketball for “unemployed”) has developed a notorious reputation in the sports world, forced to testify in Isiah Thomas’ trial for sexual harassment and quasi-defending Michael Vick during the Atlanta Falcons quarterback’s dogfighting scandal.

But Marbury, according to New York Times sports writer Jonathan Abrams, “has regularly accused [the media] of misrepresenting him.” So he took to Ustream in order to connect directly with his fans and clear up any misconceptions people might have about him.

Having watched some of the clips currently available, I do wonder what misconceptions Marbury was hoping to clear up. For example — was he concerned that we thought he wore shirts, like, ever? Because if so, consider us well-informed of the opposite.

Unlike making a statement on YouTube, though, Marbury used the Ustream technology to openly chat with viewers, answering important questions like whether or not he’s ever eaten ostrich eggs and who he prefers: Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse? (According to Abrams, it’s Bugs.) Other highlights include Marbury (who is a father of three) showing off his “baby” — an admittedly gorgeous Mercedes Benz — and talking about how all we got is love.

Despite the fact that Marbury doesn’t exactly understand what the 7 in 24/7 means (Have At It, subtitled Stephon Marbury Live 24/7, was a one-day event), it was a well-intentioned effort to give us a look at his life…though currently, the most-discussed clips are not those chosen by UStream as highlights. Because at a certain point, things got a little weird.

Sure, the bit where Marbury ate Vaseline on camera (to be fair, as a sore throat remedy) has been cited a lot, but the one moment when everyone got concerned was when Marbury broke down crying while listening to Kirk Franklin’s Lean on Me.

YouTube user DDKTien, whose upload of the crying clip has gone onto receive almost 250,000 views as of writing, remarks, “I don’t know why he cries. Maybe it’s a cry for help?” Everyone else seems to be equally befuddled. Scoop Jackson on ESPN.com paints this breakdown as a sign that Marbury has lost whatever gift enabled him to rise so high in the NBA. “All the good and bad in his life eclipsed by his attempt to find empathy…The Stephon Marbury you either loved or hated has disappeared,”he writes. Many other sports fans seem to share his dismay at the loss of an icon, a man who, according to Jackson, was widely considered to be “the greatest point guard to ever come out of [New York City].” All because the man simply wanted to be understood a little better.

Did Marbury get what he wanted out of this experience? I don’t know. Because now, the channel is silent. But he’s transferred the show over to Justin.TV.  So feel free to
ask him there.