Retired basketball star Stephon Marbury speaks to retrospect his career during a promotional event for a limited collection of the watch brand Memorigin in Beijing, China, on Sept 29, 2018. [Photo/IC]
XIAMEN - The Marbury Basketball Training Camp, named after former Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) champion Stephon Marbury, opened on Wednesday morning in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian Province.
Some 80 basketball lovers aged between six and 17 from Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen joined the camp. Over the following seven days, they will receive professional basketball training with Marbury and six other former CBA players.
For eight-year-old Li Boxi from Beijing, this is his second stint at the camp, which has previously been held in Beijing and Tianjin. His mother said he was crazy about basketball.
"In the previous camp, he not only learned basketball skills like passing and shooting, but also made friends and developed life skills to be independent," she said.
"We teach them the fundamentals," Marbury noted. "We want the kids to understand how to play basketball: not just come along to the basketball court, shoot the ball and play games. We want them to understand the instruction and make sure the foundation is solid."
Marbury explained that after he retired last year, he was devoted to keeping fit and promoting basketball among China's youth.
"I have played basketball in China for a long period of time and I received love from various people," Marbury said. "It is a success in my career and people know my success, so it is easier for me to teach here and for the kids to follow and learn."
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
