The NBA is a business, and sometimes player movement completely ignores the most convenient or “right time” for the athlete and their family. For Shawn Marion, such was the case when he was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Miami Heat in February of 2008.
Marion was notified of the trade while hosting a Super Bowl party, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 17-14.
Speaking to Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on the Knucklehead podcast, Marion recanted the trade, which didn’t get formally reported until three days after the Super Bowl:
Everybody’s at the crib, a lot of famous celebrities at the crib, we’re sitting there, we’re all sitting on the couches, all laid out watching the game, and uh, I get a call, and I’m like what- what’s goin on, I step outside and I’m like ah sh— I just got traded, like really?