Free-agent point guard Sebastian Telfair has reached agreement on a one-year deal with Tianjin of the Chinese Basketball Association, his agent, Andy Miller, told Yahoo Sports.
Telfair, 28, has played for seven NBA teams since making the leap out of high school as the 13th pick in the 2004 NBA draft.
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Telfair will have the chance to run Tianjin's offense and position himself for a return to the NBA in late February once the Chinese basketball season ends.
"We wanted to make a move from a position of control, and allow Sebastian the chance to run a team this season before coming back [to the NBA]," Miller told Yahoo Sports on Monday night.
Telfair will join another former first-round NBA pick, Shelden Williams, with Tianjin.
Telfair was considered one of the best available unsigned players in the NBA's free-agent class this summer, and should have several opportunities for backup point guard jobs available to him upon his return from China in early 2014.
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Through his nine NBA seasons, Telfair has averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 assists. He played parts of the 2012-13 season with Phoenix and Toronto.
Telfair was the subject of a critically acclaimed book, "The Jump," by Ian O'Connor, based on the guard's senior year at Lincoln High School and his immediate jump to the NBA.
Telfair's cousin, Stephon Marbury, has been playing professionally in China since 2010.
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