你需要知道的NBA球星的那些事

Bill Parcells once told reporters that people always show you who they are.

比爾-帕索斯曾向記者坦言，人們總喜歡告訴你他是誰。

You just need to listen.

你只需聆聽。

Well, America, take a moment and lend your ear. Because in the NBA's frenzied summer of free agency, a host of stars are telling you something about the league, its stars and the nature of our country and its always-bustling cauldron of ambition.

好吧，在美國，你要騰出時間，拿出耳朵。因爲，在NBA，在這自由球員們瘋狂的夏天裏，許多的球星通常會心潮澎湃的給你講一些關於聯盟，關於聯盟裏的球星，我們國家的本質，和他們的雄心。

There's no loyalty. None. Just listen.

然而，對於忠誠，他們緘口不語。一字不提。你只需傾聽。

Chris Paul told us that when, two years after helping coax DeAndre Jordanback from a Dallas Mavericks team Jordan agreed to join, Paul bolted for Houston.

當年，克里斯-保羅巧舌如簧，把德安德魯-喬丹從達拉斯小牛勸回洛杉磯。而兩年後，他卻不辭而別，遠赴休斯頓。

Paul is a Rocket now, Jordan is still stuck a Clipper, and the rest of us should take note. All that talk of brotherhood, friendship and commitment was a CP3 sales pitch, not a real connection.

現在，保羅當上了航天員，而小喬丹卻只能繼續他的船伕生活，我們作爲旁觀者也應該在其中吸取教訓。但凡提及兄弟、朋友，亦或是承諾，都不過保羅是的推銷辭令，而非真正的關係。

It's not only our jobs that don't always love us back. It's our teams and their stars, too, whose affection is decidedly temporary.

愛，有時候總是得不到回報，我們卻對此無能爲力。對我們所喜愛的球隊和球員亦是如此，也許，這只是一晌貪歡。

Gordon Hayward was drafted No. 9 overall seven years ago, bloomed into a max player and became the linchpin of a Utah Jazz team growing into a legitimate Western Conference force. Until last week, when he said, "See ya, Utah, it's Boston time."

七年時光彈指一揮，當年的九號籤早已成爲聯盟頂薪一族，以戈登-海沃德爲核心的猶他爵士亦在西部復興在望。但在一週前，他走了，只留下一句“仰天大笑出門去，我輩已是綠巨人”。

Because they ain't. Not anymore. The days of Jeter, Brett, Duncan and Kobe living out careers in the same jersey are over. Loyalty in sports is dead.

再無名宿。傳奇就此封存。隨着科比和鄧肯等人的時代結束，隊長從一而終成爲球隊旗幟靈魂時代也就此終結。體育界，忠誠已死。

Kevin Durant is a Warrior now. Paul George made it clear a full year before his contract was up in Indianapolis that he had no intention of being a Pacer beyond 2018. Forget exiting stage right, George eviscerated any chance the Pacers had to trade him for appropriate value.

到了勇士的凱文-杜蘭特便不能再稱爲勇士。合同年前揚言無意續約的保羅-喬治，現在離去，步行者只能儘量止損。

This is the natural extension of two facts.

導致了這一切發生的原因不外乎以下兩點。

The first is that — and professional athletes will tell you they eventually learn this the hard way — their chosen career is straight from "The Godfather" — it's not personal; it's strictly business.

首先，現在職業運動員總會說：最後，他們才終於明白，成功是如此的艱難。是老天讓他們去把體育作爲職業，而非己願，體育其實就是商業。

In the past, lack of loyalty came most clearly from the teams to players — not the other way around. But stars are flipping the script.

誠然，以前是球隊不忠誠於球員，而現在，球星們已經逆其道而行之。

Because, secondly, in a league where the superstars blaze the trails, LeBron James' concerted effort to wrest power from owners and give it to those who play the game is paying off.

其次，是因爲聯盟超級巨星詹姆斯成爲始作俑者，現在的球員們一直在努力的嘗試着從管理層手中奪權。

You see it in the massive salaries hauled by stars — and non-stars.

目前無論是不是球星，大合同隨處可見。

A direct link to the increased BRI (as in "basketball-related income" — all the money) negotiated by National Basketball Players Association president Paul and vice president James, who wisely made it a philosophical imperative to empower players in every way possible.

造成球員收入，包括其他籃球相關收入劇增的罪魁禍首就是球員工會主席保羅和副主席詹姆斯，他們想盡了一切辦法讓球員獲取更大的利益。

You see it in James saying Stephen Curry should have gotten a $400 million contract.

大家都知道吧，詹姆斯曾說過：斯蒂芬-庫裏就應該拿四千萬。

And you see it in a league where, with everyone acutely aware James again could break Cleveland's heart, there's liberation for every other player to look out for their own self interests, loyalty be damned.

你們也應該能想到吧，聯盟裏的每個人都清醒的認識到，詹姆斯可能會再次傷透騎士的心，自由地和其他球員在一起，去追逐屬於他們自己的利益。去死吧，忠誠！

We all yearn for success, respect and the freedom to work and do what we want. Just like we yearn for greatness and glory.

我們都渴望成功，渴望獲得尊重，渴望自由的工作和生活。就像我們渴望的偉大和榮耀。

We used to watch sports in part to vicariously enjoy the latter.

我們看比賽時或多或少都曾有一種代入感。

But we can also take pride in the former — in James toying with his supposed boss, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert; in Carmelo Anthony besting Phil Jackson;

同樣，我們也應該對上面我們批判過的球員引以爲傲——詹姆斯輕鬆戲耍騎士老闆於股掌之中；安東尼持久戰完克菲爾-傑克遜；

in Durant and George and Paul taking command of their world and reminding us we still can captain our own ships. That there are still surprises ahead.

杜蘭特、喬治和保羅指點江山，自主擇業。這都提醒了我們，我們可以把自己命運掌握在自己手中。也許，以後還會有更多的驚喜。

Parcells was right. People tell you who they are. Just listen.

帕索斯說得對，人們只會告訴你他是誰。你只需傾聽。

And having listened for a very, very long time.

一直，一直，一直的聽。

the players have heard that their owners, their general managers, even their fans often only love them so long as they can get something out of them.

到最後，球員們滿耳盡是——我是你的老闆，我是你的領導，甚至還有，我是喜歡了你很久的的粉絲。但，其實他們說出來這些的目的，終究是想在你身上獲取某些利益罷了。

Now it's the players who are speaking the same message: I'm looking out for me.

現在，是球員們做出迴應的時候了，我們要去尋找自我，做回自己。

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