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True point guards aren't made, they're born. On February 20, 1977. Donald Marbury Sr. and his wife, Mabel Marbury gave birth to their fourth son, Stephon Xavier Marbury. Donald Jr., the oldest son, picked up little Stephon and announced to the family that Stephon was going to be the greatest one. ( In Marbury's words) " My whole family is so close.....we all just live vicariously through each other." The Marbury children were - Donald Jr.(JuJu), Eric, Norman, his twin sisters, and Stephon. All of the Marbury children had a reputation of being really skilled in Basketball. A Marbury child was expected to succeed in basketball. Each sibling learnt from his/her experiences and passed it on to the next one. Stephon began his study of the game at approximately 3 years of age. At 6, he could shoot and dribble with both hands. A few years later he would show up at halftime during Lincoln (his brothers' high school) games, steal the ball from the ref, and begin tossing in three-pointers with such pinpoint accuracy (``bye-bye birdie,'' he would chirp) that the net gave but the slightest shiver. Stephon was also close to his extended family. His cousins (he had quite a few) Corey and Russell, who were 4 years older, always counted on Stephon when it came to pick up games in playgrounds. The Marbury to bury the most impact on Stephon was his oldest brother, Juju. JuJu, being the oldest, was the first to experience the joys and pains of playing serious ball. And he passed that knowledge on to Stephon. Juju made Stephon (as well as the rest of the Marburys and a few neighborhood kids) enter the "JuJu basketball camp", where they had to do such things as run up and down all of 20 something flights of stairs in their apartment building. Stephon played everyday, before school, after school, and until the wee hours. During the summer, he would play all day, come home, eat , and fall asleep. Whatever "free time" he had, he always had a basketball in his hand. When he reached the advanced age of 10, (local coaches) Disco and Mr. Lou let him captain one of their 14-and-under teams. The next year, Stephon scored an astonishing 41 points in a Catholic Youth League championship game, making the New York Daily News for the first of what would turn out to be countless occasions. Recruiters were all over him. Stephon snuck into a basketball camp for high-schoolers and would have been kicked out, except that he played with such consummate brilliance that his stunt was written up in the sports pages of the New York Daily News. In 1988 a basketball scouting magazine flagged Marbury as the nation's best sixth-grader. By the time he was 14, he was literally getting stalked by recruiters. Fourteen years old, and his college recruiting has already begun. Coaches sent him letters (in violation of NCAA rules), requesting the pleasure of his company during his years of college eligibility; street agents, paid under the table by colleges to bring top players to their programs, were cultivating Stephon; and practically every high school coach in the city heaped him with free gear - sneakers, caps, bags - in an attempt to lure him to his school. By the time he was 14, some scouts hailed him as the top high schooler in America. When the world's blue-chip high school talents attended the Five Star ABCD basketball camp in Honesdale, Pa. that summer, Stephon was named Most Outstanding Player of the developmental NIT league. The 14 year old was always under the public's eye. There were many items and events Stephon couldn't do or participate in. Around this time, an author, Darcy Frey was writing about inner city ballers and chose Stephon's cousins, Russell and Corey, along with a little bit of Stephon to be his main characters. Darcy Frey later published his book and called it the "Last Shot". In the "Last Shot". Stephon was shown as a selfish, cocky, teenager who was stuck somewhere between superstardom and puberty. It kind of indirectly says that Stephon and his father were only in it for the money and didn't have any heart for the game. However, Stephon was the only character that who actually succeeded. Both Corey and Russell barely made it to college, but dropped out because of certain difficulties. Stephon admits to being cocky when he was a child but says that he learnt from his mistakes and matured greatly once he started high school. Stephon says that he became "stronger player as well as stronger person. You learn to forgive, to forget, to take blows, to know when to give blows, when to be physical, to know when to talk and when not to talk". Catholic schools like Bishop Ford, Tolentine, Bishop Loughlin, Christ the King, Saint Raymond's and Xaverian placed their bids - promises of a starting position from some schools, a guaranteed supply of his favorite sneakers from others. One Brooklyn coach presented Stephon with a new uniform and treated him and his father to a series of extravagant dinners. A coach in the Bronx was rumored to have offered cash up front. For a time, toward the end of last summer, it looked as though Stephon might go into the Catholic league after all. Stephon had grown wary of Lincoln after two of his brothers, Donnie and Norman, failed to meet the minimum NCAA academic requirements and were forced to attend junior colleges. Vowing not to go that route, Stephon thought he might get better academic preparation at a Catholic school. But then Hartstein, the Lincoln high coach, made Stephon an offer that would be considered extraordinary in almost any business but this: the 42-year-old coach promised the 14-year-old player that he'd turn down any college coaching offer over the next four years so that he could personally shepherd Stephon through high school. Stephon started high school when he wasn't even 5-9". All the seniors had been awaiting Stephon's advent at point guard, where, it is hoped, he will flawlessly deliver the ball into their hands for easy baskets. And (coach) Bobby Hartstein, who usually gives incoming freshmen a grudging nod at best, had allowed Stephon his choice of team jerseys and had even given the first-year player the combination to his own locker so that Stephon can store his schoolbooks there during practice. Hopes for that year's team are running so high around school that a small crowd gathered in the gym: students, teachers, other coaches, even a reporter for Newsday who covered the team almost daily that season. And what did Coach Harstein say about the prodigy after the first day of practice? ``Jesus, this kid's the real thing! Getting Stephon is like trading for an experienced senior point guard just when you need him! Do you realize Stephon could keep us in TV tournaments for the next four years?'' The Marburys also had a reputation for being roguish. Lincoln's coach both dreaded coaching the Marburys and dreaded losing them to a rival schools. He says Stephon was different then his brothers. He was more dependable. He had a lot of people looking out for him and made sure he was headed in the right direction. He also had a lot more heart. A little perfectionist who wanted to win more then anything. There were many incidents where the diminutive fellow would blow up on himself for little things. He felt as if the team was his team and he took up responsibility for them. The Lincoln coach was already looking forward to Stephon's arrival because he knew that Stephon already had a good relationship with half of the varsity team anyway. He knew that their friendship would add to Lincoln high's success. And of course, he delivered exactly that. Stephon says" I always wanted to listen.... to learn, I always wanted to do better, I always wanted to work on things I needed to work on. Such determination led Stephon and the rest of his teams to countless tournaments. Stephon's name was routinely making the papers. He was greatly publicized and this put some pressure on the teenager. This was the most critical time for him because high school was where a lot of playground legends messed up. Particularly, his brothers. However, Stephon had support. His family kept him heading in the right direction. Throughout high school, he maintained a 3.4 GPA. He wasn't going to give colleges any reason not to take him. During the summers of his high school career, he played in an AAU league ( a league that prestige players travel around the country to play). In this league, he met Kevin Garnett (his future teammate). The two of them became such good friends that even after they went back to school, they still kept in touch quite often. Since Kevin lived all the way down in South Carolina, the phone bill was quite expensive and Kevin had to get a part time job just to pay for it. By the end of his senior year in highschool, he led his team of countless championships, won Parade Magazine's athlete of the year, and became a father. Stephon's top choice for colleges was always Georgia tech because he said they knew how to treat their point guards (referring to Kenny Anderson, another NY legend whom he got compared a lot to.)So, it wasn't a surprise when he actually signed with them. The Georgia Tech coach knew right away that Stephon was very capable of going to the NBA straight out of highschool but Marbury decided to stay and prepare himself for one year. However, his friend Kevin decided he was ready to face the NBA straight out of high school. Kevin went to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Marbury was named rookie of the year in the ACC after averaging 18.9 points and 4.5 assists for the Yellow Jackets, who returned to the NCAA Tournament this season after a two-year absence. They reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Cincinnati. After one year in college, Marbury decided he was ready for the NBA. In the 1996 draft, he got no. 4 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. At first, Marbury was happy - just to get drafted. A little bit later, he learnt that Milwaukee traded him for Ray Allen who was no. 5 pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Once he learnt he was going to be with Kevin, he was ecstatic. The Timberwolves were looking for a solid point guard and they knew of Marbury's friendship with Garnett so naturally they had Marbury down for their no. 1 pick. On the day that Stephon was supposed to make his debut, former teammate, Isiah Rider got charged with drug possession and most of the media's focus was on him - not Stephon. Only a few days after the 1996 NBA draft, where Stephon Marbury was taken as the 3rd pick, Steph signed for Pa.-based basketball apparel and sneaker maker AND 1 to endorse a new line of basketball shoes. In practice, Stephon "[quote]. Because Marbury and Garnett were both teens when they started, the Timberwolves were often teased as the Teenwolves but coach Saunders says that these guys are young but mature. Especially Marbury. He learnt how to deal with publicity at a very young age and is very serious about his career. Marbury suffered a sprained right ankle after eight minutes of the season opener and missed the next seven games. After that, except for missing eight games because of a bruised right thigh, and all-star weekend, Marbury enjoyed an outstanding rookie season as he helped the Minnesota Timberwolves reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Marbury was Minnesota's starting point guard in 64 of the 67 games he played. He currently only get 1.89 mill a year. Comparing himself to Stephon of 5 years ago "I'm a lot more mature now," "Life took its course. My lifestyle is totally different now. I got here with my family and the help of God."

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