Stephon Marbury Throws Serious Shade At Jim Boeheim Recruiting Pitch

Shandel Richardson | Nov 14, 2024

Feb 24, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Former Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim waves to the crowd after a ceremony to honor him after a game at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury wanted to play college ball in his home state of New York.

At the time, Syracuse was the best in-state program. It was led by legendary coach Jim Boeheim.

"I was going to Syracuse before Syracuse knew I was going to Syracuse," Marbury said during an appearance on Carmelo Anthony's 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast.

Surprisingly, Boeheim was the one who ruined it for the Orange. Marbury said he was disappointed by his recruiting pitch.

"He comes to my house on my home-school visit," Marbury said. "Five minutes in, he just comes out with this humdinger and goes, `you're not going to start. I was like, `that's the end of that."'

Syracuse lost out on Marbury, who was arguably the top high school player in the nation. After the Boeheim disappointment, he found solace when Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins visited.

"The next day, Georgia Tech came to visit," Marbury said. "The first thing he said, `I'm going to give you the ball and let you do whatever what you want to do. My mother said, `Now, that's what I'm talking about."'

Marbury chose the Yellow Jackets, following in the footsteps of New York City legend Kenny Anderson to Georgia Tech. Marbury played one season in college before becoming a lottery pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1996 draft.

He later helped lead the Timberwolves to their first playoff berth while playing alongside Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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