Link: https://goo.gl/ZyKmUN
Fans celebrate 20 years of Kobe greatness in a single night of magic
球迷在夢幻之夜慶祝Kobe這偉大的20年
It was 20 years of greatness in a single night of magic.
Kobe Bryant returned to midcourt at Staples Center on Monday night for the
first time in nearly two years as Lakers history fluttered around him like
bits of dazzling confetti.
The fans again chanted "Ko-be, Ko-be!" and "M-V-P, M-V-P!"
球迷齊聚一堂，共同慶祝這個榮耀的時刻
Kobe睽違兩年再度回到了Staple Center的中央
這一次，湖人的一切再度如同飛散的彩紙一樣包圍著他
球迷不斷呼喊著"Kobe Kobe, MVP MVP"
Magic Johnson again threw a no-look pass, announcing that Bryant was "the
greatest who’s ever worn the purple and gold."
Jeanie Buss showed her trademark personal touch, fighting back tears while
thanking Bryant for "staying loyal to the purple and gold and remaining a
Laker for life when it might have been easier for you to leave."
Then, in the waning seconds of a halftime ceremony of the Lakers game with
the Golden State Warriors, Bryant again delivered in the clutch.
First, he stood proudly while the Lakers made NBA history by retiring not
one, but two of his numbers, both 8 and 24 slowly unveiled high on the
Staples Center rafters amid the nine other retired Lakers numbers and one
Chick Hearn jersey.
Then, later, in his final dramatic shot before leaving the court, Bryant
found and hugged Shaquille O’Neal.
Magic一如往常的傳了一個意想不到的no-look pass
跟大家宣布Kobe是湖人隊史上最偉大的球員
Jeanie Buss則忍著眼淚中感謝Kobe對於湖人的始終如一
接下來，在比賽的中場休息時間，Kobe再度在關鍵的時刻出場
他可以理所當然的驕傲的站著，看著Lakers史無前例的退休同一個球員的兩個號碼
此時8號與24號球衣緩緩的出現在Staple Center上層，陪伴著包含其他9位傳奇球星退休
的號碼
之後，Kobe找到了Shaq，並在離開球場前給他一個巨大的擁抱
"It’s not about the jerseys hanging up there for me, it’s about jerseys
hanging up there before, without them I couldn’t be here today," said a
gracious Bryant into the microphone, adding, "It’s about embodying the
spirit that exist in those jerseys up there … so that the next 20 years are
better than the past 20 years."
That’s going to be tough. That was one wild 20 years. There will never be
another journey like it, one athlete spending his entire two-decade career
with this city’s favorite team, seemingly all of Los Angeles bouncing up and
down the court with him until the five-championship ride finally ended with
his retirement in the spring of 2016.
Bryant is 39 and stays far from the game as a venture capitalist working on
media and technology projects. His latest venture was shown on the video
board at halftime, an animated short film, "Dear Basketball," which is based
on his retirement letter and is receiving some Oscar buzz.
But Monday, for one night, it was as if he had never left.
Before the game, the streets around Staples Center were filled with the
biggest crowd since the 2010 NBA Finals. Many did not have tickets, which
were going for more than $400 in the upper levels. Instead, they roamed
through a makeshift amusement park called "Kobeland," a place featuring an
actual working Ferris wheel with cars numbered 8 and 24.
"I saw it driving in and I’m like, what?" Bryant said of the attraction.
Kobe說 "對我來說，重點不在於我高掛了球衣，重點是那些曾經高掛球衣的偉大球星，如
果沒有他們，今天我不可能有機會在這裡"
接著Kobe優雅的表示 "重點是在於體現他們在球衣中留下來的精神，讓接下來的20年能比
過去的20年更進步"
這是一個艱難並充滿挑戰的過程，不會再有一段一樣的旅程了，一位運動員，將他20年奉
獻給他最愛的球隊
見證了它的起起落落，直到這段最終拿下五座冠軍的旅程終於在2016年的春天畫下句點
Kobe 39歲了，他遠離球場，挑戰了影片與科技的產業，在中場撥放的短片正是他最近的
成果
而根據Kobe退休的信而創作的"Dear Basketball"短片也獲得奧斯卡入圍的肯定
在今天，至少今晚，Kobe回來了，就像他沒有離開過
賽前，Staple Center外擠滿了自從2010 Finals以外最多的人潮
許多沒有票的人，聚在一個叫做Kobeland的遊樂場，其中的遊樂設施上面有著8號與24號
的小摩天輪(Kobe看到了表示 "What ???")
Once inside the arena a couple of hours before the game, Bryant relived his
walk through the long tunnel hallway toward the Lakers locker room, but this
time did it a little differently.
He was pushing his 1-year-old daughter Bianka in a stroller.
"My biggest concern tonight is, is she going to be able to sit there for the
duration of the game or is she going to try to run out on the court," he said.
When the game began, with Bianka firmly on his lap, Bryant sat courtside with
his wife and two older daughters while the young Lakers played hard and the
scoreboard worked overtime showing highlight videos.
All around him were a mix and match of stars. O’Neal sat underneath one
basket with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sitting a few seats away. Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar sat next to Bill Russell. Kenley Jansen sat for a moment with
owner Buss. Other former Lakers greats, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor,
Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Rick Fox, also showed up.
The Lakers held the pregame news conference for Bryant in a giant interview
room in Staples Center being used for only the second time since the 2010
Finals. The only other time was after Bryant’s final game two seasons ago,
the one in which he scored 60 points.
賽前當Kobe再度走向通往休息室的隧道，但這次它推著他1歲大的小女兒Bianka
Kobe說 "她是我今晚最大的顧慮，不知道她有沒有辦法撐完比賽..."
當比賽開始後，Kobe抱著在大腿上的Bianka坐在場邊，欣賞著湖人小將們努力的將比賽逼
入延長賽
在他身邊的是O’Neal、道奇的經理以及Jabbar與Bill Russell，以及湖人的名宿們
Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom 與 Rick Fox 也到場參加這場
典禮
Lakers幫Kobe準備了最大間的採訪室，最近兩次使用的時機是2010 Finals以及Kobe砍下
60分的那晚
It was during Monday’s pregame session that I asked Bryant, if he had a
choice, would he retire No. 8 or No. 24. I was hoping he would say 24.
Wearing No. 8, he was a child. Wearing No. 24, he was a man.
Wearing No. 8, he won three championships as a freewheeling sidekick to O’
Neal. Wearing No. 24, he led the Lakers to two titles without O’Neal, the
child star becoming a mature leader.
So what is it, 8 or 24?
"I kind of go back and forth," Bryant said, smiling. "Eight has something
that 24 will never, ever, ever, ever, ever have, that’s the ability to grow
hair. Honestly, it’s tough."
When I pointed to my bald head in agreement, he said, "I didn’t understand
your plight years ago but now I certainly do."
Then he got serious, saying, "It’s really, really tough for me. Twenty-four
was more challenging and I tend to gravitate to things that are harder to do.
Physically for me it was really really hard to get up night in and night out,
man. It’s a grind."
He continued: "Taking on the Boston Celtics, having a bone fragment in my
foot during that series, having a broken finger, muscling through the back
half of the career, those were some of the toughest stretches of basketball I
ever had."
He concluded: "So I guess if you forced me to pick one, I would pick 24
because of that."
The guess here is that when there is a statue erected outside Staples Center,
it will be of Bryant standing on the press table with outstreched arms
holding a basketball in celebration of the 2010 title over Boston. And he
will be wearing 24.
今天我問了Kobe，如果只有一個機會，你會選擇退休8號還是24號呢?
我希望他選擇24號
8號的時候，他是個孩子，24號，已經是個成熟的男人了
8號的時候，在Shaq身邊得到3冠軍，24號時，他帶領湖人再奪下2次冠軍，而那位孩子已
經成為了成熟的領袖了
所以是哪個? 8或24 ?
Kobe微笑著說"這很難選，但是8號有一件事24號一定做不到，就是長頭髮的能力...這真
的很艱難"
當我指著我的禿頭表示贊同時，他說 "我在多年前不懂，現在我懂了"
接著他收起了笑容並說 "這真的真的很難選，24號的挑戰更巨大，而我通常會被困難的挑
戰所吸引，就生理來說，則代表著更多折磨"
他繼續說 "面對Celtics的系列腳骨碎裂，面對手指骨折，這些在我生涯後半段所遇到的
，都是在我籃球生涯中遇到的最艱困的挑戰"
Kobe說 "所以如果你要逼我選一個，因為這些原因，我會選擇24號"
我猜當Kobe要立銅像在Staple Center外時，將會是在2010 Finals擊敗Boston時那振臂慶
祝的雙手做為雕像，而他將會穿著24號球衣
After the halftime ceremony, which ended with Bryant thanking everyone and
saying, "I love you, Mamba out," he walked off the court hugging everyone in
sight. The crowd roared when he hugged former rival O’Neal. It roared again
when he hugged Fisher.
The crowd remembered. On this night, all kinds of Lakers history came rushing
back.
"We asked for your hustle and you gave us your heart," Buss said to Bryant.
A city held that heart in its hands once more time Monday night before
watching it appear magically in the sky, twice, with a beat that will last
forever.
中場的典禮在Kobe感謝著大家並說 "I love you, Mamba out"正式畫下句點，他離開球場
並擁抱了場邊所有見到的人們
在擁抱Shaq與Fisher時球迷們發出了響亮的歡呼聲
在這個晚上，所有湖人的一切湧上所有球迷的心頭
Buss對Kobe說 "我們所能要求的，就是看你在場上奮鬥，但你卻將你的一切，給了我們"
這座城市再一次的將Kobe給大家的一切捧在手心，並看著兩件球衣同時出現在Staple
Center，上面乘載著我們永遠都會記得的感動。