Michael Beasley Is Out Here Thriving

As a second overall draft pick, Michael Beasley was mostly a bust. He showed some ability to score but little else, and was frequently doing JaVale McGee-esque knucklehead stuff on the court, and getting in trouble (mostly for smoking weed) off of it. Last year he spent a season in China before finishing out the NBA season playing 20 minutes a game for the struggling Heat. With no good offers forthcoming this year, he went back to China.

And while Beasley didn’t pan out in the NBA, it’s good to remember that there is more to life than living up to the expectations others have for you, and that he is still a pretty damn good basketball player. Today’s proof is the recently held Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Game. Beasley, playing for the North, dropped 63 points and notched a triple-double in the defense-nonexistent contest, winning MVP honors.

It is Beasley’s second straight CBA All-Star Game MVP, and if he can lead his Shandong Golden Stars to playoff success—they’re currently in fifth place with a 22-8 record—maybe he’ll reach the Stephon Marbury-level of adoration.

h/t Eye on Basketball

E-mail: [email protected] | PGP key + fingerprint | DM: @kevinmdraper