Since moving to China in 2009, former NBA point guard Stephon Marbury has become a superstar and a three-time championship winner with the Beijing Ducks. A statue, a museum in his honor and a postage stamp with his face on it have made Marbury an icon in China, and now according to the New York Times he’s been granted permanent residence there.

Former @NBA star Stephon Marbury announces Mon he has become a permanent Chinese resident pic.twitter.com/Db4W7yhsus

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— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) April 18, 2016

Immigration laws are strict in China. Only 5,000 foreigners have been given what is the equivalent of a green card in the United States, and Marbury is the first basketball player to receive the honor.

Marbury’s NBA legacy is mostly remembered for his early tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he formed a promising duo with Kevin Garnett for two-plus seasons. From there he forced a trade to the New Jersey Nets, and went on to play for the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics over the remainder of his career. Timberwolves fans, at least until recent promising developments, have been left to wonder what a Garnett-Marbury duo could have accomplished if the point guard could have willingly shared the spotlight.