For many of the Knicks, there was no love lost by the time Stephon Marbury officially left New York in February. Their relationship had been tarnished for months, if not years. But there was one player who had been positively impacted by Marbury in just a matter of weeks.

“It’s funny that you asked me [about him]. He was a very good mentor to me,” said Anthony Roberson. “When I got here in the short time I knew him, he was very encouraging to me. He always made sure I kept a good attitude and was working hard and always had good, positive stuff to say about always getting better every game.”

Roberson, now a member of the Chicago Bulls, met Marbury after signing with the Knicks last summer. He was returning from a stint in Turkey and was trying to get acclimated with his fifth organization in four years. The veteran took the newcomer under his wing during the preseason.

“When he was in practice we always shot together after practices, he was my partner,” Roberson said. “He always had a very positive attitude toward me in the time he was here with me. I enjoyed all the things he told me, just helped me get better every single day and keep a level head and a positive attitude.”

He added, “[He was] very accessible to me. I would always talk to him if I had a question, from offense to how to really react to certain situations to being on the court to always being ready and prepared for my opportunity, and always staying ready. He was very positive and the things he said were very valuable to me in the time he was [in New York].”

Marbury was eventually banished from the Knicks. Roberson was eventually traded to the Bulls. Now the two are on opposing teams in the first round of the playoffs. Despite their different uniforms, there was a time when they only wanted each other to succeed.

Said Roberson, “He had a good heart and was encouraging to me.”