“What’s the story? This is the new story. This is Stephon Marbury the person, not Stephon Marbury the player,” he emphasized. “Athletes have a voice and you no longer can tear people down just because of past mistakes.” He ended our call with a pointed message regarding the “gatekeeping” of New York sports culture: “And for the record, if you were not born on New York soil and you’re writing about New York kids, make sure you keep the volume down.”

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “What’s the story? This is the new story. This is …