Chinese basketball fans still
mourning the
retirement of homegrown NBA superstar Yao Ming now have a
consolation prize: the chance to watch one of Yao's most
talented teammates play multiple times a week in their own time zone.
在为中国籍NBA巨星姚明退役惋惜不已的中国篮球迷现在有了一个安慰奖:他们有机会在自己的国家观看姚明最出色的队友之一每周数次的比赛。
Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady confirmed on his Facebook page Wednesday that he is coming to China to play for the Qingdao Eagles.
曾七次入选NBA全明星阵容的特雷西•麦克格雷迪(Tracy McGrady, 麦蒂)上周三在
他的Facebook页面证实,他将去中国打球,加盟青岛双星队。
'I have been to China several times in the last few years and I love the people and the country,' he wrote. 'It will be an honor to play for them.'
他写道,在过去的几年里,我也去过几次中国,我很喜欢中国以及那里的人们。能够为他们打球,我感到非常的光荣。
The message follows a report by Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that said McGrady had signed a one-year contract with Qingdao, part of the Chinese Basketball Association, after failing to secure a guaranteed deal with an NBA team this season. Hobbled by knee problems, the 33-year-old has bounced around the NBA in recent years, moving from New York to Detroit to Atlanta over the past three seasons.
他发布上述信息之前,
雅虎体育(Yahoo Sports)周二报道称,麦克格雷迪本赛季未能与NBA球队达成交易,之后已经与中国篮球协会(CBA)的青岛双星队签订了为期一年的合约。33岁的麦克格雷迪受到膝伤困扰,近年来在NBA频频改换门庭,过去三个赛季就从纽约转到底特律、继而又转到亚特兰大。
McGrady may be a shadow of the scorer he once was, but he appears set for a warm
welcome in China, thanks in large part to his association with Yao.
麦克格雷迪或许已经不复往日的场上雄风,但看起来他在中国还是会受到热烈欢迎,这在很大程度上要归功于他跟姚明的关系。
He was Yao's teammate on the Houston Rockets from 2004-10, a period that saw the team reach the playoffs five times. During the 2007-08 season, he memorably led the Rockets to 22 straight wins, including 10 without Yao, who was sidelined by an injury. During 2008-09, his last full season with the Rockets, he had the No. 4 top-selling
jersey in China.
2004年至2010年,他跟姚明是休斯顿火箭队(Houston Rockets)的队友,在此期间,火箭五次打入季后赛。2007-08赛季他带领火箭队取得22连胜的战绩令人难忘,其中10次是在姚明因伤没有上场的情况下。2008-09赛季是他效力于火箭的最后一个完整赛季,在此期间他的球衣在中国的销量排名
第四。
Yao
retired from the NBA in July 2011.
McGrady posted a Chinese
translation of his Facebook statement to Sina Corp.'s Weibo microblogging platform, where he has more than 44,000 followers. Responses on the site were mixed, with many
unable to
reconcile their
excitement at being able to watch McGrady play in person with
disappointment at his having settled for what even Chinese fans describe as a second-class league.
麦克格雷迪在新浪微博上发布了他在Facebook所发声明的中文译文。他在新浪微博的粉丝超过4.4万名。微博上的反应不一,许多人的感受很复杂,即为能亲眼看到麦克格雷迪打球而兴奋不已,又为他加入连中国球迷都认为是二流的球队而感到遗憾。
'I'm not thrilled, but I respect your decision,' wrote one typically conflicted fan. 'I guess it's good for you to come. A lot of people here love you. And now we're a bit closer.'
一位显得特别矛盾的球迷评论道:虽然不愿接受,但是尊重你的决定,来了也好,这里有很多人爱你的!我离你又更近了一些。
Basketball players with NBA experience are an
increasingly common sight on CBA courts. Last year, the
league found itself
temporarily flooded with top
talent as players like J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin defected amid a labor
dispute with the NBA.
在CBA球场上,曾效力于NBA的球员越来越多。去年由于NBA劳资纠纷,J.R.史密斯(J.R. Smith)和凯尼恩•马丁(Kenyon Martin)等球员
纷纷出走,CBA因此一度拥有众多NBA顶级球星。
Still, the CBA hasn't welcomed a
player with McGrady's pedigree since former New York Knick and current Beijing Duck Stephon Marbury made the country his second home in 2010.
不过自前纽约尼克斯队球员、现效力于北京金隅队的斯蒂芬•马布里(Stephon Marbury)在
2010年让中国成为他的
第二故乡以来,CBA还没有迎来过像麦克格雷迪这么大牌的球星。
A two-time NBA All-Star, Marbury led Beijing to its first-ever CBA
championship last season, scoring 41 points in the final game to erase years of
embarrassment for the franchise.
曾两次入选NBA全明星阵容的马布里在上个赛季带领北京队获得了历史上首次CBA冠军,在最后一场总决赛中
拿下41分,为这支球队洗刷了多年的尴尬。
Qingdao, which has never appeared in the CBA finals, is expecting McGrady to accomplish something similar.
从未打进CBA总决赛的青岛队期待麦克格雷迪也能有同样的战绩。
'What we value about him is his experience and technique,' Eagles General Manager Sheng Xishun told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. 'We hope he can help the team move up to a leading spot in the CBA, the way Marbury did [in Beijing].'
青岛双星队总经理生锡顺周三对《华尔街日报》说,我们看重的是他的经验和技术,我们希望他能帮助球队成为CBA的顶尖队伍,像马布里那样。
A local media report linked to from McGrady's Weibo page said the player's deal with the team included an
annual salary of
roughly $1 million. Mr. Sheng would not
confirm or deny that number,
saying the terms of the contract were confidential.
从麦克格雷迪的微博页面链接过去的一篇
中文媒体报道说,麦克格雷迪与青岛队的交易包括大约100万美元的年薪。生锡顺没有证实这个数字,说合同条款是保密的。
In 2009-10, McGrady was the NBA's highest-paid player, earning
roughly $22.5 million. Last year, he played for the NBA's veteran's
minimum salary, which for a
player with his experience was around $1.3 million.
2009-10赛季,麦克格雷迪是NBA薪水最高的球员,收入约为
2,250万美元。去年,他拿的是NBA的
老将底薪,像他这种资历的球员为130万美元左右。
The Eagles GM insisted the team is not worried about McGrady's
injury history, but said 'he will go
undergo a
thoroughphysical when he arrives.' Mr. Sheng added that he is
confident the star does not have plans to return to the NBA mid-season.
青岛双星队总经理生锡顺坚称,球队并不担心麦克格雷迪的伤病史,但表示他抵达后将接受全面体检。生锡顺还说,他相信麦克格雷迪没有在赛季中返回NBA的计划。
The tone of McGrady's
announcement on Facebook certainly seems to leave little room for a return to the basketball's biggest stage. 'I am proud of the mark I left on this game and am
grateful to have been a part of this league,' he wrote. 'It was a dream to play in front of all of you, each night, in every stadium. Thank you.'
从麦克格雷迪在Facebook上发布的声明的语气来看,他似乎确实没有留下重返NBA的余地。他写道:我为我在NBA留下的记忆感到非常的自豪,并且对能在这个联盟打球心存感激。我曾有一个梦想,在每一个夜晚、在每一座球馆、在你们所有球迷的面前打球。谢谢你们。
Qingdao expects McGrady to join the team on Oct. 24 or 25.
青岛双星预计麦克格雷迪将于10月24或25日正式加盟球队。