Up close with NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, plus NHL’s Olympic scare stories

On the show this week, we expose the myth circulating in the NHL about China’s quarantine rules at the Olympics (1:18), explain what’s actually in the Olympic playbook and compare with the NHL’s current protocols (2:08), what happens if you keep testing positive (3:55), explore where the rumors are coming from (4:56), discuss the NHL’s reluctance to send players to Olympics (6:49) and explain why organizers have failed to adequately address these concerns (8:27). With COVID rampant in sports leagues around the world, some have predicted Beijing will postpone the Olympics to 2023. Mark vows to eat his hat if that happens (9:26). Finally, what’s new in Version 2 of the Olympic playbooks (12:58) and what is the latest on tickets for spectators (13:45)?

Then, Mark and Haig sit down with two-time NBA All-Star and three-time CBA champion Stephon Marbury to find out what life has been like inside the CBA bubble (15:03), how he motivates his players as coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters (16:26), an update on the CBA season so far (17:15), how Marbury avoided the worst of the pandemic (18:27), why he wrote an email to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (19:35), and what advice he would give to the NBA as the league suffers another COVID outbreak (20:14). Next, we find out what Marbury is most looking forward to at the Olympics (21:14), find out his advice for hesitant NHL players (22:42), ask how he deals with difficult questions from reporters (24:23), and see what he’s most excited about with the Beijing Olympics just 50 days away (25:39). We also discuss Marbury’s case for the NBA Hall of Fame (26:29), compare his NBA and CBA experiences (27:15), get the scoop on his recent spat with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith (28:39), find out which foreign players in the CBA he’s closest to (30:58), get his advice on adapting to life in China (32:51), and find out what’s next for Stephon Marbury (35:02).

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