Kenyon Martin Aiming to Win a Championship … in China


Due to the NBA lockout, Kenyon Martin can’t pursue the title he truly wants at the moment, so he’s settling for the next best thing. Reports China Daily: “Shrugging off money as a motivation, the former Denver Nuggets forward said he joined the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for a simple reason – to play and win. ‘I know they (CBA club Xinjiang Flying Tigers) have won three league runner-ups. They need a championship. And I am coming for that,’ Martin said on Oct 6 after landing at the Uramqi airport, near where the team’s court is located. Martin signed a one-season, $2.7 million contract, the league’ most lucrative deal, with the Flying Tigers last month. The 2000 NBA draft’s first pick said he’s coming for the game, not the money. ‘I’m a grown man. Nobody is forcing me. It ain’t about the money. The money is great, but I don’t need it,’ Martin told Yahoo.com. ‘The deciding factor was the basketball. I will be 34 in December. Everybody knows I’m not getting any younger. I start getting that itch about this time of the year, and I want to play.’ Without an opt-out clause in the contract, Martin won’t able to return to the NBA until the Flying Tigers’ season ends, possibly in May after the playoffs, even if the postponed NBA season begins.”