Sixteen months after retiring, three-time Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) champion Stephon Marbury has been named new head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters. 

The club with whom Marbury ended his career announced on Monday that they had signed a contract with the former NBA and CBA star to take charge of the team next season.

The 42-year-old Point Guard had a 22-year pro career that began in the NBA in 1996 as the fourth overall draft pick, and included two All-Star selections with the Phoenix Suns in 2001 and 2003. 

Marbury played in the CBA from 2010 and led the Beijing Ducks to three league titles in 2012, 2014 and 2015, then spent one year with Beikong before his retirement in 2018.

Marbury is a hugely-popular figure in China, where a postage stamp with his image was issued and a museum was created in his honor. 

For his philanthropic efforts, he was also named one of Beijing's top 10 great citizens. In 2015, he was the first foreign player to receive a green card in China.