When Stephon Marbury left the NBA back in 2009 and decided to take his talents to the Chinese Basketball Association, he probably didn’t expect to become one of the most beloved players in the history of the league. But that’s exactly what has happened over the course of the last five years.

Since he started playing in the CBA, Marbury has been honored with his own bronze statue, a play about his life, and a museum. He’s also set to star in a movie about his life called New Yorker in Beijing. But earlier today, he received what may be the biggest honor of his CBA career when he was awarded with China's version of a green card, which makes him a permanent resident of Beijing. They held a ceremony for him and everything, and Zhang Jiandong, the vice mayor of Beijing, was on hand to personally give Marbury his Foreigner’s Permanent Residence Card.

This makes Marbury the first foreign-born CBA player to receive a green card. He showed it off on Twitter earlier today:

People (and we include ourselves in this) have poked fun at Marbury for years now, but what he’s been able to do in China has been truly incredible. Congrats to him.

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[via Fox Sports]