For most professional athletes, their reputation on the court precedes them ­­— and Stephon Marbury is a good example of that.

The shoot-first point guard of the New York Knicks is often seen as selfish, cocky and even as a jerk. So it surprised me to hear that, in the midst of trying to revive the Knicks with new head coach Isaiah Thomas, Marbury has launched his own clothing and shoe line called Starbury.

What’s the big deal, you ask? It’s not the fact that he launched his own brand, but the strange concept behind it.

Every single item in the Starbury collection is $15 or less, including a high-performance basketball shoe, which he will wear during the upcoming NBA season.

“The inspiration behind it is to have people go to the store and buy what they want and what they need at the same time, and be able to pay for it at an affordable price,” Marbury said.

In reality, Marbury is a laid-back guy who has always been a charitable person. He was one of the top donors to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts among athletes and he continues to give back to his neighborhood on New York’s Coney Island.

He recently visited 42 cities in 17 days and held autograph sessions in a retail chain store, Steve and Barry’s.

“The Starbury movement tour was conceived to extend the brand, to extend the excitement, to extend the momentum and it’s also a way of saying thank you,” said Erin Patton, principal of The Mastermind Group, the marketing agency that played a large part in the successful launch of Michael Jordan’s signature brand and is now part of the Starbury collection. “[Marbury] wanted to personally go to big cities [and] small cities to spread this movement, because it’s such a positive thing.”

As I sat in at a signing in Anaheim, I began to wonder if this was a gimmick. In a day where a pair of Nikes can run up to $200, what is Marbury trying to achieve?

“We felt like now was the time for change,” Marbury said. “The tour has been great. They have been showing us a lot of love.”

I watched as he shook every single hand and signed countless things for hundreds of customers and fans. Just about every parent came up to express gratitude, while teenagers bought two or three pairs of his shoes at a time.

“The consumer is the voter and this is the ballot box,” Patton said. “They come out consistently and the shoes have sold out everywhere. In New York, there’s still lines every single day for people who want to get the shoes.”

It has been good news for the Starbury line, which has relied heavily on word-of-mouth marketing as opposed to traditional means of advertising.

When a kid came up to the table, Marbury’s face lit up, and he turned to me and said, “I miss my kids, man.”

After meeting an overly enthusiastic and handicapped Knicks fan, Marbury got his information in order to send tickets for when the Knicks come to Los Angeles to face the Lakers.

“I knew that it was real,” Patton said. “I knew that Stephon was committed, Steve and Barry’s was committed, the product was good and the market was right.”

According to Marbury, he is not just lending his name to a brand, but is 100 percent involved in every aspect. You know what? I believe him. Maybe it’s because he was one of those kids who couldn’t afford to spend so much for a sneaker, but he really does seem to care about the people — and I know his love for children is genuine.

When asked how they could afford to keep the prices so low, he just replied by saying that the company has a system in place.

I don’t know what that system is or how much profit he can make, but people seem to embrace the Starbury brand, and that might matter just as much, if not more, than making money.

From jackets to jeans to shoes, Marbury’s line has everything to complete your wardrobe. While some of the items do look a little cheap, it’s amazing how a jacket can cost $10 and still look pretty good.

I’m not saying this is the greatest thing ever, and maybe it’s not a revolutionary movement, but it’s kind of cool. Even though Marbury was one of the last athletes I expected this from, it seems real.

This brand is going somewhere. It has plans to continue to develop, including women’s wear and other potential sports-type products, while keeping its prices low.

“Everything is going to stay consistently priced where it is,” Patton said. “That’s the Steve and Barry’s business model and that’s the Starbury brand promise.”

Keep an eye on Marbury and the Knicks this season. If they’re finally able to turn it around and make the playoffs, it’s got to be the shoes.