Stephon Marbury is rereleasing his $15 ‘Starbury’ shoes

Michael Jordan is “robbing the hood” and doesn’t care that “kids [are] dying for shoes”, according to former National Basketball Association player Stephon Marbury. With Jordan’s coming with a three-digit price tag, the polarizing guard teamed up with the now defunct Steve & Berry’s in 2006 to develop the “Starbury” a $15 signature basketball shoe that was both affordable and comfortable.

During a 2007 episode of ABCs 20/20, Marbury put his shoes up to the test by sending them to Parsons The New School for Design to be analyzed and compared to a pair of Air Jordans for quality.

Calling him greedy, Marbury said, “I’m off the kids getting killed for Jordan’s”. He made 0 million off of Jordan Brand alone a year ago, and has several longstanding endorsement deals – not to mention the majority ownership stake in the Charlotte Hornets – to supplement that baffling primary income. Jordan apparel and the worldwide business add more than $1 billion as well.

For Marbury, that is obscene. Jordan himself has stayed mum on the violence related to his shoes, while the brand has only tried to stem matters by initiating a raffle system for select releases. The Brooklyn native threw a few shade at King James as well, when a Twitter follower pointed out the Cavaliers star’s shoes also sell for well over $200.

Nike and the Jordan Brand, of course, aren’t the only high-priced sneakers and the company has tried to temper the release of new models with RSVP and raffle systems, including for the Kevin Durant shoes, through the internet. He moved to China in 2010, and now plays for the Beijing Ducks. But violence has occurred for years and resulted in a memorable Sports Illustrated cover in 1990.