Former NBA player Stephon Marbury is encouraging Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant to end his basketball career in China after retiring from the National Basketball Association this season.

The two-time NBA all-star said Chinese basketball fans would outshine the adoration and the flattery Bryant is receiving in the NBA if he were to wrap up his career in the Chinese Basketball Association.

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"They love him here. It is a little bit past love. It would be like the biggest thing ever in basketball here" Marbury said to Yahoo Sports in a recent phone interview. "It would be beyond huge. Beyond big, I would definitely encourage it."

Stephon Marbury, also known as "Starbury", entered the NBA alongside Kobe Bryant in the 1996 draft batch that included Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jarmaine O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Derek Fisher. They are the only two members of that celebrated draft class who are still playing professionally.

According to an article of theScore, Marbury, who has been playing basketball in China since 2010, is right on the money. The Black Mamba regularly takes off-season promotional trips to China and usually draws a huge crowd, and that Bryant jersey is just a common thing to be seen on the streets of Chinese cities.

Marbury is the 1996 NBA Draft 4^th over-all pick selected by the Milwaukee Bucks but was traded shortly to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played college basketball with Georgia Institute of Technology.

He was a two-time NBA all-star, fitting in 2001 and 2003. In year 2000 and 2003, Marbury was a member of All-NBA Third Team. He was also included in the 1997 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

He also previously played for New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the NBA. Marbury is currently playing for the Beijing Ducks in the CBA.

Tags NBA news, NBA 2015, Black Mamba, Los Angeles Lakers, cba, Georgia Institute