Hello China! Love is love! Tonight is the tip-off of the 2012-13 CBA season. And it also marks a life-long dream of mine coming true.

Like every kid who fell in love with playing the game of basketball, I dreamed of going pro, being an NBA star and winning a championship.

Well, I went pro. I played basketball at the highest level in college, the NBA and now the CBA. In fact, some consider me one of the best ever to play the one position. Receiving accolades of being a great point guard are all well and good, including what comes with it such as fame and fortune and, yes, even frustration.

When I was in high school, my teammates and I faced a setbacks twice before winning a city and state basketball championship — both in the same year. I wish I could say the same happened while I was in college and the NBA. Honestly, winning a title after high school eluded me for 15 years. That was until in March when my Beijing Ducks teammates and I were crowned CBA champions! We beat perennial powerhouse the Guangdong Tigers 4-1 in the finals.

Many people said we could not do it, but, yes, we did! And thank God, we proved our skeptics wrong and brought last season's CBA championship trophy to the capital of China! Tonight, we get our rings, and I can't wait to put mine on my finger.

Earning a CBA championship was by far one of the toughest challenges of my life. During our title run, I learned to be the best CBA team in the People's Republic of China not only takes basketball talent, but it also takes having faith, real commitment, diehard motivation and, of course, the true heart of a champion! My teammates and I realized that anything worth having is worth working for in China.

Now, we have got our work cut out for us as we find ourselves with a target on our backs. Each of the CBA teams is looking to dethrone us. But, we hope to repeat. That is why my teammates and I and our coaching staff have spent this off-season trying to get an edge on our foes.

For starters, I had major surgery on my big right toe and the one next to it. Yes, I had two of my toes reconstructed this summer back in my hometown, New York City. What has been even more challenging is my limited time to recover from my operation, especially at my age. I'm 35 years old, and it has taken me longer to recuperate from my recent surgery than from the operations I had in my 20s.

To top it off, just weeks after a pin was removed from my toe, I began intense therapy — even running five out of seven days a week up until now. When someone is constantly bending your surgically-repaired toes, it really hurts. It is nearly unbearable. You just want to scream. But what pushes me is my desire to get back on the basketball court healthy and play at a high level.

My teammates believe their three-week trip in August to the United States has helped prepare them for this CBA season. They said they gained a greater understanding of the way game is played in my native country when they trained with a university coach in California and played against college alumni. As my teammates learned, those guys play more physical. Their style of play resembles street ball.

Coach Min Lulei went to Spain and Turkey to watch some games and to learn more about zones and different strategies in preparing to set up the press offense and defense.

As far as changes to our squad, we added a scorer from the team former NBA star Tracy McGrady is now playing for, the Qingdao Eagles. Our new guy, Li Gen, is one of the best Chinese players in the CBA, in my opinion. He can really score. In fact, he was the MVP of last season's CBA All-Star Game.

Now, after practicing together for six days a week at least five hours a day for one month, I think we are ready to make our title run, so, gas up China. This should be a fun season. I'm looking forward to it!

Love is love.

Always,

Starbury

Stephon Marbury can be reached at sports@chinadaily.com.cn