Shaquille O'Neal will get his Lakers statue on Friday, and Kobe Bryant
couldn't be happier
Shaq將在週五得到雕像的榮耀，Kobe非常高興
原文:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-shaq-statue-20170323-story.html
影片支援:
推 cakeGJ: to二樓 影片 https://youtu.be/0i5S_fjH-eI 03/25 17:18
推 cakeGJ: 過去的老隊友都有出席 看得有點感動阿03/25 17:21
Only in looking back can Kobe Bryant truly appreciate the impact Shaquille O’
Neal had on his career. In basketball history it is impossible to mention one
without the other.
回首過往，Kobe 深深的感謝Shaq對他職業生涯的影響，畢竟在籃球史上這兩個名字必須
被同時提起
"When you win three titles together and you’ve had so much impact on one
another’s legacy as a player and as a champion," Bryant said by phone this
week, "there is absolutely no way in the world I would miss an opportunity to
talk about him and thank him and to acknowledge everything that he’s done
for not only this organization and the city, but for me personally."
On Friday afternoon O’Neal and Bryant will be together again, this time in
an unfettered celebration of O’Neal, what he meant to the Lakers and what he
meant to Staples Center. The Lakers, Staples Center and AEG will unveil a
1,200-pound, nine-foot bronze statue that will hang from Staples Center,
hovering over Star Plaza.
Kobe表示:"當你們共同贏得三個總冠軍，不可否認地，一定對對於另一人的傳奇生涯有極
深的影響，無論是對我個人或是對於整個LA，我都必須感謝他帶給我們的一切，我必須出
席雕像的揭幕儀式"
這個星期五歐布將再次連線，這是屬於Shaq的榮耀時刻，為了謝謝他對於湖人以及
Staples Center帶來的一切，1200磅 九英呎高的銅像將與其他傳奇球星一同豎立在
Staples Center前的明星廣場
Bryant will be among the dignitaries at the ceremony, as will Jerry West, who
brought both players to Los Angeles. Phil Jackson, who taught them how to win
championships, is expected to attend, too.
Kobe以及當初將兩位傳奇球星一起來Jerry West都將會以貴賓的身分出席，Phil Jackson
這位帶領歐布連線的傳奇教練，也預期會出席
At the center of the celebration is a man who can hardly believe it.
"It’s a very surreal moment," O’Neal said. "Unexpected. I still think there
’s a couple other guys that probably deserve a statue more than me. Like
"Big Game" James [Worthy] and Wilt Chamberlain. But I’m honored. They’re
giving me a statue in front of the place I like to say I built. Staples does
start with S."
對於Shaq來說這個是一個難以置信的時刻，他表示:"這太不真實了，我認為還有更多的人
更值得獲得雕像的榮耀，像是Big Game James Worthy 或是 Wilt Chamberlain，在
Staples Center，一個我希望可以說是我建立的王國的地方，獲得這樣的榮耀，真的非常
的榮幸，Staples Center 永遠都是S開頭的 (S代表Shaq)"
To say he built Staples Center is only hyperbole in the literal sense.
When they courted O’Neal, the Lakers were in an eight-year championship
drought — what seemed like a depression back then.
There was plenty of doubt inside the franchise that they would be able to
land him at all during that summer of 1996. O’Neal sought a team with a
similar makeup to the one he had in Orlando. He was motivated by landing a
monster contract, being someone who drew inspiration from what others were
paid.
West, the team’s general manager, convinced O’Neal he could achieve his
goals with the Lakers — that he could achieve greatness.
"Maybe one of the proudest days of my life was when he said I’m coming,"
West said. "… At that point in time players wanted to come here because of
the success of the team and winning. And also because of Jerry Buss. I think
they had great belief in him as an owner." O’Neal made an impression in
person.
其實說Staple Center是Shaq一手打造的一點不為過，當湖人得到Shaq以前，他們正經歷
著連續八年錯失總冠軍的窘境
整個湖人不斷被質疑是否能在1996年的夏天得到Shaq，當年Shaq正在尋找一張大合約
West是當時的GM，告訴Shaq在湖人你可以完成你的夢想，並說服他跟湖人一起共創王朝，
並表示:"Shaq說Yes的這一天或許是我生涯最驕傲的一天"
Shaq本人回憶當年:"在當時，大家不只被紫金王朝所吸引，更重要的事相信Jerry Buss的
領導能力"
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss doesn’t recall their first conversation with O’
Neal — she assumes she was too terrified of the giant man before her. Bryant
first met O’Neal as a 16-year-old and said his hand "swallowed" Bryant’s
whole arm. When they became teammates he recalls the physicality with which O
’Neal played.
"Our first practice, Travis Knight just looked like he just went through
hell," Bryant said.
Knight was a rookie the same year as Bryant and Derek Fisher. But Knight was O
’Neal’s rookie. That meant during training camp in Hawaii, Knight trekked
to O’Neal’s room before every practice so he could carry his shoes for him.
Knight got a slap on his neck any time he passed up a dunk for a layup — O’
Neal’s way of teaching the young big man to be more aggressive.
"I just remember trying to push on him and it was the same as trying to push
on a wall or move a car," Knight said. "I’m giving everything I got and it’
s not even budging."
Jeanie Buss說他不太記得第一次遇到Shaq的情境了，她認為這也許是因為被這位巨人給
嚇到了，Kobe第一次見到Shaq則是在他16歲的時候，Kobe說他的整條手臂幾乎能被Shaq的
大手一手掌握
後來他們成為隊友，他回憶起這位巨人在練習的表現
Kobe回憶起當天的情況，第一次練習結束，Travis Knight看起來好像剛剛去過地獄走一
遭...
Travis Knight當年跟小魚(Derek Fisher)以及Kobe是同梯的，但是Travis Knight是Shaq
的專屬跟班
這表示在夏威夷的訓練營中，他必須天天早上練習球都去Shaq的房間幫他拿鞋，而每當他
上籃或灌籃失敗，都會被Shaq狠狠的教訓，這是Shaq教育新人更強硬的方式
For the first three years of the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers era, they played at the
Forum in Inglewood before leaving for Staples Center.
At the arena’s groundbreaking ceremony, O’Neal wore an ill-fitting hard
hat. An AEG official told him one day he’d have a statue in front of that
arena.
To start his legacy, with Jackson as the Lakers’ first-year coach, they won
a championship immediately.
歐布連線的第三年後，他們離開了Inglewood並來到了Staples Center
在破土儀式中，Shaq帶著一頂不合身的安全帽，一位AEG公司(Staples Center的擁有者)
在場的人員對著Shaq說 "總有一天，你會有屬於自己的雕像的"
他的傳奇則從Phil Jackson的到來而正式展開，第一年，他們就拿下了總冠軍。
"All I wanted was one," O’Neal said. "A lot of people criticized me for not
having one. And then after we got one they said bet you can’t get two."
Said Buss: "I tell every owner in the NBA that’s moving into a new arena,
make sure you win in the first year because it makes everything a lot easier."
O’Neal’s infectious personality became even bigger. His won over his
teammates with jokes and pranks and a fierce loyalty. When an opponent was
picking on then-rookie Luke Walton, O’Neal leveled the player off a screen.
He later gave a makeover to Walton’s beat-up 1970 Cadillac as a gift.
Shaq回憶到:"我就是為了這一枚總冠軍戒指而來的，很多人批評我，說我拿不到冠軍，而
當我拿到第一枚冠軍戒指時，他們開始說你拿不到第二枚"
Jerry Buss表示: "我告訴所有NBA的老板，如果要換新的廠館的話，必須確保第一年就有
好成績，因為這會讓一切簡單許多。"
Shaq的個人特色也感染著隊友，他常常對隊友惡作劇或開玩笑，讓大家打成一片，非常的
挺隊友，也因此贏得了隊友們的支持
當對手在欺負新秀Wlaton時，Shaq在下次湖人進攻中，直接叫Walton利用他做掩護，當
Walton回頭，發現對方已經倒地了，Shaq直接撂倒了對手幫Walton出氣
Shaq對隊友的好不僅如此，他在這次事件後也免費幫Walton美容他1970的舊凱迪拉克
(Walton口述影片支援: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIct35PmWbs)
After three championships, there was an expiration date to O’Neal’s Lakers
career. His relationship with Bryant seemed frayed. He has said the
organization’s loyalty to Bryant impacted him. In his Hall of Fame speech,
he even said with a smile that Bryant pushed him to being traded to the Miami
Heat. That trade happened in October of 2004.
For his own legacy, Bryant wanted to do it alone. But he says now that he
never viewed that as a power struggle. He laughed at remembering O’Neal’s
line during his Hall of Fame speech.
"I guess by default maybe that’s true," said Bryant. "My mind was going
someplace else, understanding that Shaq was going to stay. … He opened the
window first. Once he demanded the trade … that put a halt to my free agency
because the Lakers were not going to lose Shaq and me in the same year."
In truth, the money was a bigger factor than anything else. The Lakers simply
weren’t willing to pay O’Neal what he wanted and could earn elsewhere.
Jerry Buss called O’Neal to tell him that.
"He called me and said hey we’re going to do something else, and I
understood that," O’Neal said. "Me being a marketing genius that I am, I
wanted it to look like something else, but it really was never that."
在獲得三座冠軍後，Shaq在湖人的生涯也逐漸走向盡頭，歐布之間的關係似乎逐漸惡化，
球團對於Kobe的支持明顯的影響了他，在他的名人堂演說當中，他甚至偷偷的笑著說Kobe
迫使他被交易到熱火
Kobe表示:"也許事實真的如此，當初原本已經準備好離去了，也知道Shaq應該會留下，但
是接下來Shaq要求被交易，湖人只好馬上將我留下，Lakers不可能同時失去Shaq以及
Kobe"
事實上，金錢最中還是最大的因素，湖人方面也不想付出其他球團能給出的薪水
某一天Jerry Buss找個Shaq面談，並表示將會做出一些改變，聰明如Shaq也知道這就是職
業球員必須面對的
They remained close until Jerry Buss’ death in 2013. O’Neal visited in the
hospital and spent more than an hour with the ailing Lakers owner.
"I wish he was still able to be here," O’Neal said. "Especially for my Hall
of Fame ceremony."
Jeanie Buss said if O’Neal could have stayed for a dollar, he would have.
"I would prefer the Lakers to win every year, [but in Miami,] to see Shaq and
Pat Riley win a championship, I take a little pride in that because they are
still Lakers," she said.
老Buss與Shaq持續保持良好的關係直到2013年老Buss過世，Shaq到醫院陪著Buss超過了一
小時
Shaq說"在我的名人堂典禮中，我是多麼希望能看到Buss也在場"
Jeanie Buss說: "事後來看，Shaq就算是給他一美元，他也希望能留下，不過都已經過去
了，我當然希望每年湖人都能贏，但是看到Shaq以及Pat Riley獲得成功，我依然感到驕
傲，因為他們永遠是Lakers"
Over the years, O’Neal’s relationship with Bryant thawed. These days they
talk occasionally, mostly texting about their children. Their rising height,
Bryant said, offers a "brutal" reminder of the passage of time. Bryant said
they are "extremely cordial."
When Bryant heard O’Neal was getting a statue, he congratulated his former
center via Facetime. That was the only time the two have seen each other’s
faces since Bryant’s last game in April of last year.
"I’ve learned so much from him," Bryant said. "He’s extremely, extremely
good at bringing others on the team and pushing them. Striking the balance
between hard leadership and a pat on the back. Those are things I learned
from him. … That was a big, big shift for me."
He hasn’t attended many Lakers functions since his retirement, but to tell O
’Neal and the world about that, he will.
這麼多年過去了，Kobe及Shaq也早已盡釋前嫌，這些日子，他們常常連繫彼此，大多是討
論他們的小孩
Kobe說"隨著人漸成長，視野更廣闊了，也提醒著他們時間過的有多麼快"
當Kobe聽到Shaq獲得雕像的榮耀，他透過Facetime恭喜了他的前隊友，這次他們自從去年
4月Kobe退休賽後第一次面對面看到彼此
Kobe說: "我向他學習了許多，他真的非常、非常的會帶領隊友，並激勵他們，也很明白
在照顧隊友及領導隊友當中取得平衡，這些都是我向他學到的事情，對我來說是很大的成
長"
自從Kobe退休後，他並沒有參加太多的湖人官方活動，但這次，他會到。
翻到快崩潰...有錯麻煩指正