Stephon Marbury Clears False Rumor, Wants to Play for Heat

Why would anyone turn down a chance to play for the Miami Heat these days?

That’s exactly what former Celtics point guard Stephon Marbury said to the New York Post on Monday, after a Chinese news outlet (Marbury currently plays in China) reported that Marbury turned down a chance to play with LeBron James and Co. in South Beach.

"It's total nonsense. Why would I turn down a chance to play for the Miami Heat?" Marbury told the Post from Beijing. "The report was a fabrication."

Marbury apparently told a Chinese journalist that a true point guard was not essential for the Heat because James, Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh all command a lot of touches, but the reporter interpreted that as Marbury being unwilling to take on a smaller role in Miami.

"What I was saying was I wouldn't be making a major difference with those guys because they have great players," Marbury told the Post. "I'd just be filling a smaller role."

Marbury played all of last season for Shanxi, China.