By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Just the participation in an Olympic Games tournament is a dream come true for most athletes. Even when it comes to famous superstars.
In the case of Stephon Marbury though, the whole experience in 2004 was just a nightmare. Actually, he calls that period he spent in Athens 13 years ago, “the worst 38 days of my life”, in an interview with Complex.
And apparently not simply because Team USA failed to win the gold, settling for the bronze medal.
It all started at the first day of practice when head coach Larry Brown asked a group of players (Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Sephon Marbury) about what their goals are in the Olympics.
When the time case for Marbury to answer, Brown didn’t really like what he heard. “By the time he got to me, everything was said that needed to be said. So I said, ‘Let’s also not forget that we need to have fun.’ And Larry goes, ‘Huh. Listen to this guy, talking about having fun!”, mentions the former NBA-er.
It makes sense that Marbury didn’t really jump full of joy when he found out that Brown would also coach him in the New York Knicks, one year later. “It was just unbearable, man. Nobody wanted to play for him. The whole energy was terrible. But it was the environment he wanted. Misery.”