‘I Let Him Off The Hook A Lot Of These Years’: Roc-A-Fella Isn’t The Only Family Jay-Z Divided According To Former NBA Player Sebastian Telfair and His “Weird” Cousin Stephon Marbury
Former NBA star Stephon Marbury, who went on to find iconic fame in China, and former journeyman Sebastian Telfair are cousins, both raised in the projects of Brooklyn and honing their games on New York’s competitive blacktop courts.
Both were first-round draft picks who attended Abraham Lincoln High School (same school as Lance Stephenson) and emerged out of poverty and into lucrative NBA careers. Both also encountered their share of challenging moments and struggles throughout their careers.
Sebastian Telfair and Stephon Marbury Are Cousins, But Not Friends: “He’s Really Weird:
Despite being cousins from the same Coney Island hood, the two didn’t seem to have a close relationship as adults.
In a recent appearance on Cam’ron and Ma$e’s hit podcast, “It Is What It Is,” Telfair, who recently eluded doing prison time for his alleged involvement in a $4 million health care fraud scheme that implicated more than a dozen former NBA players, was asked about his frigid relationship with his internationally-renowned cousin.
Former NBA cousins Sebastian Telfair and Stephon Marbury have a rocky relationship. Telfair told Cam’ron that the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and New York Knicks star didn’t do as good a job at leading his family and keeping the unity. (Getty Images)
“Growing up, what was you and Stephon Marbury’s relationship?” Cam’ron asked. “Even today, because it doesn’t seem like, ‘That’s my man, my man cousin. Seems like that’s my cousin because we happen to be related.”
“Steph is Steph though. He’s really weird,” Telfair said. “You gotta understand though, Steph really inspired me. He hit in like ’96. Most dudes in my town, feel me, they didn’t have it [that kind of success] at that time. So Steph was a huge influence of mine and he my family.”
And of course, Steph’s success elevated him over his older and younger brothers – who were great ballplayers in their own right but never made the league – and other relatives as the head of the family, especially financially.
Former NBA Player Sebastian Telfair Says Legendary Cousin Stephon Marbury Failed At Promoting Family Unity
Telfair, 39, is 8 years younger than Steph, and he says the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and New York Knicks star didn’t do as good a job at leading his family as he did his teams.
“I feel like Steph ain’t do a great job making sure the unity was there for the family,” Telfair added. “So we don’t have a great relationship. I let him off the hook a lot of these years. Steph really did hate me with Jay (Z) being my dude, and he really hated on that situation with me.”
Telfair is referring to the drama surrounding the legendary Rucker Park summer tournaments that were all the rage in the late ’90s, early 2000s. The teams were led and constructed by celebrities in the rap game such as Jay-Z and Fat Joe. It was the place to be in the summer time with lines that extended around the block. It was a streetballer meets pro hooper heaven that captivated the city’s urban youth for decades.
‘Starbury’ ended up on Fat Joe’s team, while Telfair played for Jay-Z, creating an uncomfortable situation for Sebastian because Marbury and Jay-Z were enemies for various reasons.
In a separate interview on VladTV, Telfair explained the origins of the problem and how Marbury made it very difficult for him.
“Steph, my family, and Jay, the big homie. That didn’t make no sense at the time, and it was unfortunate for me,” Telfair said. “When I got around Jay, and Stephon was feeling a way about that, I asked Jay, like I was trying to get them on the phone at the time. Jay was like, ‘Man, I’m rapping. I’m not even gonna respond, I’m rapping.’ I remember throwing that out there, but that’s so stupid.”
“And then once Steph seen we was cool, that should have been what that is, because Steph and Jay and them having an argument in Madison Square Garden restaurant, something like that. Steph is talking crazy to Jay, and that didn’t help me and Jay’s relationship. But how I look at it, Steph was hating, because the real vibe, Steph, my cousin, I love Steph and Steph love me, but Steph was hating,” Telfair added.
Telfair says he did his best to keep relationships with both Marbury and Jay-Z, but the competition on the court and in the hood was so fierce that even Jay-Z and Fat Joe ended up having beef because of it.
“I don’t know, we don’t got the greatest relationship,” Telfair tells Cam’ron, who seems to be getting a kick out of the family tea. “But I’m at a point now where at least I got to tell the truth.”
Social Media Accuses Marbury Of Being Cheap, Others Of Abandoning His Family
Some social media users accused Telfair and Marbury’s family of being sour because he didn’t break enough bread with them.
“Sounds like Steph didn’t give the ‘family’ enough money!”
“Sounds like Steph didn’t do enough to set the family up, not just money but with community centers, businesses, even basketball. Sounds like he was an all for 1.”
Some social media users supported Sebastian’s claims that Steph spent more time acting funny than mending bridges and lifting the family.
“Telfair made over $20M of his own NBA money tho so…”
Another said, “Sebastian has his own bread. Steph def a hater and a weirdo, he hate every chance he get.”
Said one X user: “Unity doesn’t always equal money. Unity can be influence and guidance.”
Stephon Marbury Is An Innovator Who Has Grown As A Person
Family is never perfect, and Marbury was never accused of lacking an elite game or an ego. It got him in trouble when he was young in the game and one half of a potentially-lethal tandem with a young Kevin Garnett. Egos, a desire to be “the man” and the fact that Marbury despised Minnesota weather and nightlife, fractured Marbury’s best chance at forming a championship tandem with someone.
His stint with the Knicks was tainted by underachieving teams and a scandal that involved him having sex with an intern on MSG property.
Marbury’s reputation totally transformed when he went to China, re-focused his mind and energy and became a living legend overseas. The former hoops star went from NBA outcast to international trailblazer, leading his Chinese Basketball association teams to three championship rings.
After 14 years in the NBA, Marbury came to the CBA in 2010, and his story extended much further from the basketball court than anyone could have dreamed when they first started getting wind of the middle school prodigy on the New York City hoops scene back in the late ’80s and early ’90s
People also clowned him for creating his own shoe line and selling them for $15, but those who understood his motivations applauded him for providing kids who couldn’t afford to pay over $100 for a pair of sneakers a viable option in a market oversaturated with overpriced footwear.
At the end of the day, he became something much bigger than an NBA star, with a reach that extends beyond borders and simple classifications.
Unfortunately, his cousin feels that through all of Marbury’s trials, tribulations and grand successes, he neglected his family. It’s an opinion, but one Telfair has the right to express. Hopefully he and Steph can mend any lasting differences and get the family back together.
