If you followed the NBA in the early 2000s, Stephon Marbury was inescapable. He was the "Starbury" from Coney Island, the guy with the tattoo on his head, the point guard who could drop 50 points on the Lakers and then go home to a quiet life in Westchester with his college sweetheart. For over two decades, Stephon Marbury and wife Latasha Marbury were the "it" couple that actually seemed like they’d make it. In a league where marriages often last about as long as a 10-day contract, they were the veterans.
But things change.
If you haven’t checked in on the Marbury family since his days playing in China or her stint on Basketball Wives, you might be shocked to find out that the unit has officially dissolved. The story of Stephon Marbury and wife Latasha is no longer about a long-term partnership—it’s about a messy divorce, a fresh start in a foreign land, and a brand-new marriage that basically nobody in the States saw coming.
The Foundation: Latasha Marbury and the Early Years
Latasha (often called Tasha) wasn't just some girl Stephon met at a club after a game. They were the real deal. They met while she was a student at North Carolina State University and he was already a rising star. They tied the knot on September 14, 1999 (some records say 2002, but the 1999 date is the one most cited by those close to the family).
She wasn't just a "wife," either. Latasha has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and another in Nursing. She was educated, grounded, and clearly the anchor while Stephon was bouncing from the Timberwolves to the Nets to the Knicks. They had two children together, Xaviera and Stephon II, and for a long time, she stayed out of the spotlight.
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Honestly, she seemed like the anti-reality star.
Then came 2013. Against Stephon’s wishes—he reportedly hated the idea—Latasha joined the cast of VH1’s Basketball Wives for its fifth season. This was the beginning of the end for their private persona. Suddenly, their dirty laundry was being aired out for millions.
The Scandal That Wouldn’t Die: The Personal Chef
If you want to know why the dynamic between Stephon Marbury and wife Latasha started to fray, you have to look at the "Chef Scandal." It sounds like a bad movie plot.
Back in 2012, it came out that Stephon had an affair with the family’s personal chef, Thurayyah Mitchell. It wasn't just a one-time mistake; it happened five times. When Marbury let her go in 2006, he reportedly agreed to pay her nearly $1 million to keep quiet.
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- The Payout: He paid about $600,000 before he stopped making payments in 2010.
- The Legal Fallout: The chef took him to an arbitrator who ruled that Stephon had made her believe "keeping him happy" was part of her job.
- The Public Reaction: Latasha had to face this on national TV. On Basketball Wives, she famously said, "It’s over with. It’s in the past... she saw a come-up and she ran with it."
She stayed. Most people thought they were through it. They lived in China while Stephon became a literal god in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), even getting a statue and a museum dedicated to him in Beijing. But the distance—both physical and emotional—was clearly doing damage.
The 2023 Divorce and Stephon's Second Marriage
In June 2023, the news finally broke that Stephon and Latasha Marbury had finalized their divorce. It was the end of a 24-year era. While the details of the settlement were kept relatively quiet, the split marked a definitive pivot in Stephon's life. He was no longer a "New York guy" living in China; he was becoming a permanent fixture of Chinese culture.
Then, on April 7, 2025, Stephon Marbury did something that caught everyone off guard. He got married again.
His new wife is Wang Yuling, a 41-year-old Chinese singer and former contestant on The Voice of China (also known as Catina Mezereon). If you think this was a random pairing, think again. Stephon has called himself a "Chinese son-in-law" and seems more at peace now than he ever did in the NBA.
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They reportedly met in a pub in Beijing in 2023. Stephon was in the audience while she was performing, and he was so moved by her voice that he asked for her WeChat immediately. He famously told her that her singing felt like "a massage for my heart."
Where Are They Now?
Today, the lives of Stephon Marbury and his former wife are on completely different tracks.
- Latasha Marbury: She’s back in the States, mostly focusing on her children and her own business interests. She’s maintained a relatively low profile since her reality TV days, seemingly happy to leave the "Basketball Wife" label in the rearview mirror.
- Stephon Marbury: He is officially a permanent resident of China (the first foreign athlete to get a "Green Card" there). He coaches, he’s a husband to Yuling, and he’s fully embraced a life that looks nothing like his Coney Island roots.
- The Kids: Stephon II (Stephon Marbury Jr.) followed in his father's footsteps, playing college ball for the California Golden Bears. The family remains connected through the children, but the romantic bridge has been burned and cleared away.
The evolution of Stephon Marbury and wife Latasha is a reminder that even the most "solid" celebrity marriages are human. They survived cheating scandals, cross-continental moves, and the pressures of reality TV, only to realize that sometimes, people just grow in different directions. Stephon found a new soulmate in a Beijing pub, and Latasha found her independence back home.
If you're looking for lessons here, it's pretty simple: don't assume a long-term marriage is "safe" just because it's survived a decade. Also, if you're a legendary NBA point guard, maybe don't hire a personal chef you can't stay away from.
To stay updated on the Marbury family's new chapters, you can follow Stephon's updates on Weibo or check out Latasha’s rare but insightful social media posts regarding her nursing and wellness advocacy. The "Starbury" era in New York is long gone, but the Marbury story is clearly still being written in two different languages.
Next Steps for Readers:
Check out Stephon Marbury's documentary, A Kid from Coney Island, to see the early footage of his relationship with Latasha before the split, or look into the current roster of the North Beijing Royal Fighters to see how his coaching career is faring under his new life in China.