原文網址：http://goo.gl/xbdhnE
Thousands made a pilgrimage 20 years ago to a pyramid not to pay homage to
the ancient dead, but to witness a greatly anticipated birth. They braved the
notorious traffic and ignored a day made for the beach to spend the afternoon
inside and satisfy a curiosity that made them excited.
20年前，數以千計的人去金字塔朝聖，不是為了紀念古老的失去，而是為了見證偉大
的誕生。他們忍受著惱人的交通、放棄可以在沙灘上度過的完美時光，只為了花一個下午
滿足他們興奮的好奇心。
They had to know: Does he really exist?
他們迫切的想要知道，這個人真的存在嗎？
This place of worship was indeed named The Pyramid, a Disneyesque knock-off
of the famous shrines in Egypt, 18 stories of glass and silver soaring above
the Long Beach State campus. It houses a sports arena that's home to the
school's basketball team, and in 1996 was the site of the NBA Summer League.
這個地點就叫做金字塔，18層樓高的建築豎立在長灘分校的校區裡，這棟建築孕育著
學校的籃球隊，同時在1996，它也是NBA夏季聯盟的比賽地點。
Usually, these games involving fringe NBA players draw fans who are bored
hoop junkies looking for a summertime fix, except on July 14 of that year,
the box office line ribboned around the block and spilled into the parking
lot. The Long Beach summer league had never sold out for a single game
before, until now. This became the first documented proof of the reach and
pull of one Kobe Bean Bryant, an appeal that would eventually stretch well
beyond that line and last a basketball lifetime.
通常呢，參加夏季聯盟比賽的人除了接近NBA的球員、就是一些籃球迷想在夏日找一
些樂子，但在這年的七月十四這一天可不一樣。售票處大排長龍，而隊伍一路延伸到了停
車場。在長灘這邊的夏季聯盟比賽門票從來沒有賣完過，直到那一刻。這成為了第一個人
們為了KOBE瘋狂的紀錄，而Kobe的影響，最後遠遠超過了這些排隊的人們，並成為了籃球
歷史上的永恆。
Funny thing about his official debut in a team-issued Lakers uniform: Kobe
back then was mostly word of mouth. He had no deep basketball history; he
wouldn't turn 18 for another two months. He didn't play college ball and
therefore wasn't overexposed, missing the chance to get the usual gushing
from ESPN analyst Dick Vitale in the NCAA tournament.
在Kobe身穿湖人球衣的第一場公開演出中有很多有趣的事情，因為大家對Kobe並不太
了解。他沒有很深的籃球背景，他還要兩個月才會滿18歲，他也沒有打大學籃球所以他沒
有得到太多的曝光機會，他沒有機會讓ESPN專門分析NCAA的 Dick Vitale對他做出評價。
He groomed his game far across the country, in Philadelphia, via Italy, and
therefore few if any in the Pyramid actually saw him in person before.
Because this was pre-LeBron, his high school games weren't breathlessly
televised or exploited on cable. This was also pre-Twitter, and there was no
YouTube back then; therefore no mixtapes.
他的籃球起源橫跨了國家，從費城到義大利，當時在場館裡看過他打球的零星可數。
而且，那時是Lebron之前的時代，Kobe的高中籃球比賽沒有透過電視進行轉播，那時候也
沒有Twitter、Youtube也沒有，所以也沒有什麼高光之類的東西。
Yet, people knew. They just knew.
然而，人們還是知道了。他們就是知道了。
They knew their beloved Los Angeles Lakers surrendered a lovable Serbian
seven-footer to get this kid — yes, there was actually some public debate
whether deal-meister Jerry West erred in the Vlade Divac-for-Kobe Draft-day
swap — and therefore he had to be worthy of the interest. Mystery combined
with hope made for an irresistible appetite for Kobe.
因為他們深愛的洛杉磯湖人用了一個塞爾維亞的優質7呎長人去換來這個小子，在當
時，有各種聲音質疑著Jerry West是不是做錯事了？所以這個小子最好要值得這項投資。
各種疑問伴隨著希望，成為了Kobe第一個面對的情況。
Wearing his sweatband high on his left arm, much like his idol Michael
Jordan, the kid pumped 27 points on a variety of slippery moves against the
Detroit Pistons in his first Summer League game, then dropped 36 on the
Phoenix Suns. The standing room-only crowd cheered every basket. Del Harris,
the Lakers' coach then, tried in vain to calm the masses: "It's just Summer
League, folks. It doesn't count."
就像他的偶像MJ一樣，把防汗帶帶在左手臂上，這個小子在他的第一場夏季聯盟比賽，
就用各種姿勢轟下了27分。然後呢？在面對太陽的比賽，更是豪取了36分。整場的觀眾為
了他的每一個進球而歡呼。Del Harris,當時的湖人總教練，不想太過誇大這些表現："這
些只是夏季聯盟的比賽而已，沒什麼大不了的。"
One of the assistant coaches for the Suns was Alvin Gentry, now a 25-year NBA
coaching veteran. Gentry chose to believe his eyes that day: "It was unreal,"
recalled Gentry. "Nobody on the floor could stop this kid. I would say he was
a man among boys, except he was just a boy."
現在的資深教練，當時太陽的助理教練Alvin Gentry，選擇相信自己的眼睛並且表示
："這太不真實了，在場上沒有一個人可以阻止這個傢伙，他雖然是個小孩，但他看起來
就像一個男人在跟一群男孩打籃球一樣。"
Kobe Bryant is now 37 and ready for retirement, and plenty has been said
about Kobe in the two decades in between. He even summed up his profile in a
pre-packaged, marketable two-word assessment: "Hero/Villain." Feel free to
choose your side, or accept both. What is undeniable, though, is how he
elevated himself a notch above the many great players in this aspect: Only a
select handful managed to cast a spell over an entire generation.
Kobe如今已經是個要退休的37歲老人了，在這20年間有太多太多關於他的評論，他甚
至總結了自己的生涯成簡單兩個詞，英雄，或是混蛋。你可以自由的選擇你的喜好，或同
時接受這兩個角色。但你無法否認的是，他把自己提升到了超越許多偉大球員的高度，只
有少數幾個人能像他一樣，影響著一整個世代。
In that sense, Kobe had it. Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar were among those who did not. Michael Jordan did, too. Larry
Bird and Magic Johnson did as well, thetwo pioneers forever joined at the
waistband who went about re-energizing the game. What about Allen Iverson and
the way he was worshipped by Generation X? Yes, without a doubt.
Kobe做到了。羅素爺爺、羅伯森、天鉤也在這個行列中。當然，MJ。大鳥還有魔術也
在這裡，用自己的方式重新詮釋了比賽。那AI呢？無庸置疑，他影響著X世代且被尊敬著。
Kobe is a member of that club. Kobe is a cinch candidate to be carved on a
Millenniums' Mount Rushmore, and that is the legacy he's leaving us with. Not
the 81-point game, or the three titles with Shaq, or the two without, all of
which are obviously quite considerable in their own right. Yet they're mere
achievements and entries on a Hall of Fame resume. The true and lasting
meaning of what Kobe did is scribbled across the faces and styles of a legion
of players he's leaving behind, such as the Indiana Pacers' Paul George, who
stammered recently when he took a stab at what Kobe did for him:
Kobe是這個團體的成員，他是有資格被刻在籃球總統山上的球員，寫下了一篇傳奇給
我們。他留下來的不只是那場81分的比賽，或是三個有著俠客的冠軍，或是另外兩個冠軍
。所有的這些成就當然很重要，但也就只是些進入名人堂的資料。真正流傳下來的，是他
的精神和風格。就像Paul George談到Kobe對他的影響時表示：
"I mean, part of the reason why I'm here is because of him," said George, a
three-time All-Star. George grew up in Southern California and, like
thousands of impressionable young playground rats, was sucked in by Hurricane
Kobe. "He sent me to the gym when I was a kid to work on my game. I tried to
be like him. I watched him and tried to copy him."
"我的意思是，我今天能在這裡有一部分是因為他"，這個三屆全明星球員，成長在南
加州，就像其他小孩一樣，著迷在Kobe旋風之中。"他在我是小孩的時候讓我進體育館琢
磨自己的技術，我想要像他一樣，我看著他打球並且想成為像他那樣的人。
How exactly did Kobe dictate the way millions watched and played basketball?
Why was he christened by today's players as "our Jordan" so much more than
any other? Well, the formula that created Kobe is actually easy to
understand. It was made possible by one-part circumstance and one-part Kobe
himself, the perfect basketball marriage.
到底Kobe影響了多少人觀看和打籃球的方式？為什麼他遠比其它球員更接近"當代喬
丹"這個稱號？塑造Kobe成為Kobe的原因其實很好理解。或許，一部分是因為時勢，一部
份來自Kobe自己，他和籃球的完美結合。
Here's how the basketball Gods delivered their end of the deal: Jordan was
nearing the finish line of his career and preparing an exit strategy when
Kobe was developing. There was a strong demand for a fresh copycat. Kobe
spent his entire career in splashy Los Angeles with the biggest brand in
American sports after the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees. He entered the
NBA as a teenager and hooked that demographic. And, he had the fortune of
joining a Lakers team that just signed Shaquille O'Neal and was ready to
paint an era purple and gold.
籃球之神給了我們這樣的訊息：在MJ漸漸接近他的職業生涯終點的同時Kobe正一步步
成長，大家也渴望找到下一個MJ。Kobe整個生涯都在湖人隊這全美第三大的球隊裡渡過，
僅次於達拉斯牛仔和紐約洋基，有著廣大的市場。同時，他有幸加入的湖人剛剛簽下了俠
客，正朝著他們的紫金王朝邁進。
Meanwhile, Kobe did his part by relentlessly sharpening his game, showmanship
and competitive stink-eye stare, enhancing the notion, real or not, that no
one was more bloodthirsty.
另一方面，Kobe努力提升自己的比賽，磨練自己的技術和競爭能力，沒有人對勝利的渴望
比他還要更強。
As he prepares to wave good-bye, it's proper to seek the answers to what we
just witnessed for two decades. For the best clues you must rewind to the
foundation, right after that Long Beach summer league, which first opened our
eyes and Kobe's.
在他要跟我們揮手道別的此刻，是時候來找尋這些問題的答案。讓我們倒帶回去故事
的開始去找尋線索，就在Kobe的夏季聯盟之後。
You start by observing a typical flight on the Lakers' charter in the 1996-97
season where, not long after reaching cruising altitude, the plane would
transform into a lounge. The poker games began, and they were boastful and
loud. Other players chatted up flight attendants. Some took a nap. One player
stood out for being solitary.
你首先看到的是一架很典型的球隊班機，在達到航行高度後不久，機艙開始變成一個
休息室。有些人打著撲克牌，嘻笑打鬧著。有些球員在搭訕空服員，有些球員在睡覺。但
是，有個人完全置身事外。
"Kobe didn't play card games or socialize or really do any of that. Kobe
would look at videos of basketball, being totally oblivious to any of the
shenanigans Shaq might be up to that kept the rest of the team loose,"
recalls Harris. "He had no interest in anything except getting ready for the
next day."
總教練Harris回想："Kobe不會去玩撲克或是去聊天之類的那種事，他只會非常專注在
看那些籃球的影片，就算俠客在那邊搞笑或惡作劇也完全不會影響他，他對任何事情都沒
興趣，除了準備好面對明天的比賽。"
Harris spent 25 years on a bench the NBA and was attuned to the NBA lifestyle
and culture. The sight of an 18-year-old Kobe spending his free time studying
tapes of Jordan and other stars was a switch. But Kobe's relationship with
those videos went deep. Growing up in Italy without nightly NBA games, videos
were his only way to see the players he'd heard about in the States. It also
afforded Harris, the coach for Bryant's first two seasons plus 20 games, a
front-row seat to observe the singular focus of a basketball nerd who would
become an all-time great.
有著25年教練經驗的Harris對NBA的生活和文化是再熟悉不過了，但18歲的Kobe觀看
Jordan影片的行為是特別的，而且Kobe跟這些影片的關係更深，因為對成長在義大利的
Kobe來說，晚上沒有NBA球賽可看，所以這些影片是他唯一可以觀察到這些他耳聞的球員
的機會。這也給了Harris一個最好的位置，一個位置去看著一個籃球癡，如何專注且全心
全意的邁向偉大。
"Of course, being under aged, he was not lured into the club life, but seemed
to have no interest in it anyway," Harris said. "He exuded the qualities that
one would hope for an 18-year-old. He was just a regular kid for the most
part, not like many youthful people who come into instant fame in LA."
Harris談到:"身為一個未成年的孩子，他看起來對那些炫麗的夜生活完全不感興趣。
你可以在他身上找到所有你希望在一個18歲的孩子身上看到的特質，不像一些年輕人會馬
上沉迷在名聲上。
Harris saw that being a kid trapped an adult world actually forced Kobe to
focus on basketball. While his adult teammates went their separate ways after
practice, Kobe was left to himself. With few friends his age around to occupy
his time, he played ball. It was either that or nothing. He had no hobbies or
other passions. He grew tired of sitting at home with his parents, who at the
time lived with him.
身為一個身處在大人世界的孩子，讓Kobe更加專注在籃球上。當隊友在練習結束各自離開
後，Kobe把這些時間留給自己，跟他同年齡的幾個朋友打球來填滿這些空閒時間。他沒有
其他的興趣或嗜好，也厭倦只是在家陪著他的父母。
Hard to imagine it now, but as a rookie Kobe would show up at high school
gyms, health clubs and even parks to copy moves he saw on those videos in
private, or play pickup games against total strangers, because the Lakers
lacked their own permanent facility. (He missed most of his first training
camp because he broke his left his wrist playing on Venice Beach.)
很難想像，Kobe在菜鳥時期會獨自一人在體育館、健身房、或是公園裡練習那些他在
影片裡看到的動作，或是去找陌生人鬥牛。(Kobe錯過了他的第一個訓練營因為他在
Venice Beach鬥牛時弄傷了他的左手腕)
From an age standpoint, Kobe didn't fit in with the Lakers. From a basketball
standpoint, he was very much in his element. Being the son of former
Philadelphia 76ers reserve Joe "Jellybean" Bryant meant Kobe was exposed to
professionals first as a young boy. He then studied professionals in Europe
when Joe Bryant continued his career there and, lastly, Kobe the high
schooler played in the summertime in Philly against NBA talent.
從年紀的觀點來看，Kobe跟湖人格格不入。但從籃球的觀點來看，他知道很多籃球的
元素。身為前76人球員Joe Bryant的兒子，讓Kobe很早就得以接觸職業籃球員，然後在
Joe在義大利打球時，也繼續學習。另外，Kobe在高中的暑假會和NBA球員一起打球。
"When we chose sides for the teams," said Rick Mahorn, a regular at those
games in Philly, "he wasn't the last one picked."
Rick Mahorn說："當我們選邊對抗的時候，他不是最後一個會被選走的人。"
Bryant never feared big moments
從不畏懼大場面
Kobe's transition into the NBA was easier than most preps-to-pros players in
another respect. Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, J.R. Smith and
others were drafted by rebuilding teams that lacked talent and lost often
initially. The Lakers were fresh off a 53-win season and just traded for
O'Neal. There was no immediate pressure on Kobe, who was the caddy to
All-Star shooting guard Eddie Jones, coming off the bench for all but seven
games in his first two seasons. And as the first guard ever drafted straight
from high school, Kobe still had a teenage body