（譯者注：本文是日本籃球運動員渡邊雄太自述，他目前效力于NBA布魯克林籃網(wǎng)隊，NBA生涯總得分達到610分，超越王治郅（604分），升至亞洲球員NBA生涯得分榜第四位。）

My fifth season in the NBA has finally begun.

我在NBA的第五個賽季終于開始了。

I’d like to share my thoughts today about Brooklyn, where I’ll be playing this season, and Toronto, where I played my last two seasons.

今天我想分享一下我對布魯克林的看法，這個賽季將在布魯克林打球，當(dāng)然還有多倫多，我上兩個賽季都在多倫多打球。

I feel that I have some kind of deep connection with Brooklyn. I came to the USA, the home of basketball, nine years ago — and so many milestones in my life have happened in this city. Walking along the streets of Brooklyn now, with fall in the air, special memories come rushing back to me.

我覺得我和布魯克林有某種很深的聯(lián)系。9年前，我來到了籃球之鄉(xiāng)美國，我生命中的許多里程碑都發(fā)生在這座城市?，F(xiàn)在走在布魯克林的街道上，空中飄著雪花，特別的回憶涌上心頭。

Four years ago, after graduating from George Washington University, I was brought in for workouts by various NBA teams. I was hopeful that one of them would be pick me in the NBA draft. The first place I worked out was here in Brooklyn.

四年前，從喬治華盛頓大學(xué)畢業(yè)后，我在多支NBA球隊試訓(xùn)。我希望有球隊會在NBA選秀大會上選中我。我第一站試訓(xùn)的地方就在布魯克林。

I continued workouts with seven different teams, including the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks, but I really clicked with the Nets and was approached to join the team for the 2018 Summer League. That was the start of my NBA career.

繼而在七支不同的球隊試訓(xùn)，包括華盛頓奇才隊和亞特蘭大老鷹隊，但我真的和籃網(wǎng)很搭，并被邀請加入球隊參加2018年夏季聯(lián)賽。那就是我NBA生涯的開始。

If you look at the two photos below, you'll see that I was pretty skinny back then, lol.

如果你看看下面的兩張照片，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)我當(dāng)時很瘦，哈哈


I remembered recently that I had a previous connection with this city, even before the Summer League.

我最近想起我以前和這座城市有過的聯(lián)系，甚至在那次夏季聯(lián)賽之前。

In March 2015, when I was a freshman, I played in the Atlantic 10 conference tournament. The venue that year was the Barclays Center. That was the first time I’d ever stepped out onto an NBA court. The following year I played in the same tournament, also in Brooklyn. It’s a cutthroat competition that’s over as soon as you lose. I still remember how frustrating it was to exit two years in a row from a tournament where only the champion can advance to the NCAA tournament.

2015年3月，當(dāng)我還是大一新生的時候，我參加了大西洋10區(qū)錦標(biāo)賽（譯者注：N美國大學(xué)生體育協(xié)會NCAA大西洋分區(qū)賽）。那年的地點是巴克萊中心。那是我第一次踏上NBA的球場。第二年，我參加了同樣的比賽，也是在布魯克林。這是一場殘酷的競爭，你一輸就結(jié)束了。我仍然記得，連續(xù)兩年從只有冠軍才能晉級NCAA錦標(biāo)賽（譯者注：俗稱“瘋狂三月”的NCAA全國錦標(biāo)賽）的比賽中出局是多么令人沮喪。
現(xiàn)在我又要在這座城市打球了。


And now I'll be playing in the city again.

現(xiàn)在我又要在這座城市打球了。

In late August I’d already signed a contract with the team, but it was only a camp contract, not a full contract. With players being cut one by one, there was no guarantee that I’d survive until the start of the season.

8月下旬，我已經(jīng)和球隊簽了一份合同，但那只是一份訓(xùn)練營合同，而不是一份正式合同。隨著球員一個接一個被裁掉，沒有人能保證我能活到賽季開始。

I’ve played in the NBA for four seasons, but only ever on a camp contract. I honestly thought, Oh, is this all I'm capable of? I was frustrated with myself, not with the team.

我在NBA打了四個賽季，但只是簽了一份訓(xùn)練營合同。我真的想，哦，這就是我所能做的一切嗎?我對自己感到沮喪，而不是對團隊。

Having never been on an opening day roster through five seasons, I’ve always felt like I’ve been hanging on the edge of a cliff. And I had to survive the camp first, otherwise there was no next step.

在過去的五個賽季里，我從來沒有出現(xiàn)在揭幕戰(zhàn)的名單上，我總覺得自己懸在懸崖邊上。我必須先在訓(xùn)練營里活下來，否則就沒有下一步了。

I thought, I’ll have to start all over again ... I’ll have to climb back up from the bottom.

我想，我得從頭再來……我得從底部爬上來。

I was pretty worried because I’d had a string of injuries. From June to September I would go days without practicing. I can say this now, but there were times when I lost confidence that I would even make the opening day roster. And I thought about how there are so many players who never even get invited to camp, but I had that chance again this year. I had to be grateful for that.

我很擔(dān)心，因為我受了一連串的傷。從6月到9月，我經(jīng)常幾天無法訓(xùn)練。我現(xiàn)在可以這么說了，但有幾次我甚至對進入揭幕戰(zhàn)名單失去了信心。我想，有那么多球員甚至都沒有被邀請參加夏令營，但今年我又有了這樣的機會。我得為此心存感激。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處


Players were leaving one after another, but I fought my way through to the final preseason game, chasing my dream of becoming a key player on one of the NBA’s best teams.

球員們一個接一個地離開，但我堅持到了最后一場季前賽，追逐著我成為NBA最好球隊之一的關(guān)鍵球員的夢想。


Then, just before the season opener, I was officially told by general manager Sean Marks that I’d been sexted as one of the 15 players on the opening day roster. I thanked him for the opportunity.

然后，就在賽季揭幕戰(zhàn)之前，總經(jīng)理肖恩·馬克斯正式告訴我，我被選為揭幕戰(zhàn)名單上的15名球員之一。我感謝他給我這個機會。

He told me, “Yuta, you earned it.”

他對我說，Yuta（譯者注：雄太），這是你應(yīng)得的。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處


The roster does not necessarily have to be 15 players. With a star-studded team like the Nets it could be as few as 14 — but the reason they kept me on was because they knew I would have a role to play this season. The GM’s words had convinced me of this, and I felt both relief at having survived training camp and joy at having my abilities recognized.

名單上不是必須要有15名球員。對于像籃網(wǎng)這樣明星云集的球隊來說，可能只有14人，但他們留下我的原因是他們知道我在這個賽季會發(fā)揮作用。總經(jīng)理的話讓我相信了這一點，我既為能從訓(xùn)練營中幸存下來而感到寬慰，也為自己的能力得到認(rèn)可而感到高興。

But I had to switch off this way of thinking.

但我不得不轉(zhuǎn)變這種思維方式。

With the season already started and my contract not guaranteed, I'm still hanging on the edge — even though I’m on the roster. So I’m determined not to waste a single second and keep fighting my way through this season.

賽季已經(jīng)開始，我的合同沒有保障，我仍然懸在邊緣——即使我在常規(guī)球員名單上。所以我決定不浪費任何一秒鐘，在這個賽季繼續(xù)奮斗。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處


The day after this article is published, the 21st of October, there is a game that has a special meaning for me. It’s the second game of the season and is at home against the Toronto Raptors, the team I played for last two seasons.

在這篇文章發(fā)表的第二天，也就是10月21日，有一場比賽對我來說有著特殊的意義。這是本賽季的第二場比賽，是在主場對陣多倫多猛龍隊，這是我過去兩個賽季效力的球隊。

I loved Toronto. It was a big city, but also had a peacefulness. It was wonderful, there were lakes and lots of natural beauty, with a real sense of calm. The most surprising thing to me was that I made friends in Toronto who had no connection to basketball, whereas before I’d never really made friends outside of the sport.

我喜歡多倫多。這是一個大城市，但也有一種寧靜。那里很棒，有湖泊和許多自然美景，有一種真正的平靜感。最令我驚訝的是，我在多倫多結(jié)識了許多和籃球無關(guān)的朋友，而在此之前，我從未在籃球之外交到真正的朋友。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處


I was with the team for two seasons, but I was based in Florida for the first year because of Covid. So I only lived in Toronto for a single season. I’ll never forget my first visit to Toronto in my second year. When I was walking around the city I was surprised to hear so many people calling, “Yuta!” I was happy that so many people had seen me play and were supporting me.

我在球隊待了兩個賽季，但由于新冠疫情，第一年我在佛羅里達州比賽（譯者注：由于新冠疫情，2020賽季NBA比賽在佛羅里達的奧蘭多迪士尼樂園中以賽會形式舉行）。我只在多倫多住了一個賽季。我永遠不會忘記在NBA的第二年第一次去多倫多的情景。當(dāng)我在城里走著的時候，我很驚訝地聽到這么多人在叫:“Yuta!”我很高興有這么多人看了我的比賽，支持我。

The fans in Toronto are very passionate, and even after I left the team, many people still sent me kind messages through social media. Toronto has become unforgettable for me, both the people and the city. I am sure I’ll continue to visit every year, and I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you.

多倫多的球迷非常熱情，即使在我離開球隊之后，仍然有很多人通過社交媒體給我發(fā)了友好的信息。多倫多已經(jīng)讓我難以忘懷，無論是這里的人還是這座城市。我相信我每年都會來看看，我想借此機會表示感謝。

Thank you so much to the people of Toronto.

非常感謝多倫多人民。

But ... from now on the Raptors are our opponents. Even though they’re my former teammates and they know me, when it comes to the game I can’t hold back and will play to win. The Nets have some of the best scorers in the NBA, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and I am guessing that the Raptors will play a special defense against them. I can’t say for sure, but when I played against the Nets last season, I played a special defense against them too. The Raptors change their tactics a lot during a game, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ll try and I’ll do my best to beat them.

但是…從現(xiàn)在起猛龍就是我們的對手。即使他們是我以前的隊友，他們也了解我，但在比賽中，我不能退縮，我會為了勝利而比賽?；@網(wǎng)擁有NBA最好的得分手，包括凱文·杜蘭特和凱里·歐文，我猜猛龍會對他們進行特殊的防守。我不能確定，但當(dāng)我上賽季對陣籃網(wǎng)時，我也對他們進行了特殊的防守。猛龍在一場比賽中會改變很多戰(zhàn)術(shù)，所以我很期待看到他們會怎么做，我會盡我最大的努力擊敗他們。


There's something I always try and remember on my journey:

在我的職業(yè)歷程中，有一件事我一直在努力記住:

Only 450 people in the whole entire world play in the NBA, the pinnacle of basketball.

全世界只有450人在NBA這個籃球的巔峰賽事打球。

With a global pool of 450 million basketball players, 450 people is only 0.0001% of that.

全球有4.5億籃球運動員，450人只是其中的0.0001%。

It is by far the most difficult league to get into, and some say it’s even more difficult to survive in: Most NBA careers are said to last just two to three years. I have been on the edge of the cliff every season and have been near the bottom of the roster, but the fact that I’ve been one of the sext 450 for five years … I’m very proud of that.

這是迄今為止最難進入的聯(lián)盟，有些人說在其中生存更困難:據(jù)說大多數(shù)球員的NBA職業(yè)生涯只能持續(xù)兩到三年。我每個賽季都處于懸崖邊緣，幾乎是名單的底部，但事實上，我已經(jīng)連續(xù)五年入選450強了……我為此感到非常自豪。

Regardless of whether I am a Japanese player or not, I am proud that the dream of a little kid who once watched the NBA on TV and thought, I wish I could play on that stage, too, has been coming true for five years.

不管我是不是日本球員，我很自豪，因為我小時候在電視上看NBA比賽時想，“我也希望能在那個舞臺上打球”的夢想已經(jīng)實現(xiàn)了5年。

As a member of the Nets, the most important thing for me now is to show the team what I can do. It’s important for me to find my role. The Nets are a team of superstars. But I’m sure that there is a role on this team that I can succeed in and help win us games. I want to pursue that during the season — just like I did in the preseason — and be the player they need me to be.

作為籃網(wǎng)的一員，現(xiàn)在對我來說最重要的事情就是向球隊展示我能做什么。對我來說，找到自己的角色很重要?；@網(wǎng)是一支由超級巨星組成的球隊。但我確信在這支球隊中有一個我可以成功的角色，并幫助我們贏得比賽。我想在賽季中追求這些——就像我在季前賽中做的那樣——成為他們需要我成為的球員。


I’m back in Brooklyn after 4 years.

四年后我又回到了布魯克林。

It’s been about a month and a half since I signed the camp contract and moved to this city. It’s a great place to live, and when I come back after being away, I think, Ah, I’m home.

自從我簽了夏季訓(xùn)練營合同搬到這個城市已經(jīng)有一個半月了。這是一個非常適合居住的地方，當(dāng)我離開后又回來，我想，啊，我到家了。

I particularly love the DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn. I go there to eat or just walk around when I need a break. It’s sandwiched between two beautiful bridges, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge, with a view of Manhattan just across the river. The redeveloped cobblestone and red-brick buildings give the area a great vibe. I haven’t been able to get out and walk around much yet, but once I get to know Brooklyn better, I’m sure I'll fall in love with the city even more.

我特別喜歡布魯克林的DUMBO社區(qū)。當(dāng)我需要休息的時候，我會去那里吃飯或四處走走。它夾在兩座美麗的橋之間，布魯克林大橋和曼哈頓大橋，隔河就能看到曼哈頓的景色。重新翻修的鵝卵石路和紅磚建筑給這個地區(qū)帶來了很好的氛圍。我還沒辦法經(jīng)常出門散步，但一旦我更好地了解布魯克林，我相信我會更加愛上這座城市。

I want to make the most of every day I have in the NBA so that I can continue to work hard right until the end of the season. And when people pass by me, I hope they will call, “Yuta!”

隔河就能看到曼哈頓的景色。重新翻修的鵝卵石路和紅磚建筑給這個地區(qū)帶來了很好的氛圍。我還沒辦法經(jīng)常出門散步，但一旦我更好地了解布魯克林，我相信我會更加愛上這座城市。
我想充分利用我在NBA的每一天，這樣我就可以繼續(xù)努力，直到賽季結(jié)束。當(dāng)人們從我身邊經(jīng)過時，我希望他們會叫一聲:“Yuta!”