Link: https://goo.gl/ZyKmUN
Fans celebrate 20 years of Kobe greatness in a single night of magic
球迷在梦幻之夜庆祝Kobe这伟大的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!"
球迷齐聚一堂，共同庆祝这个荣耀的时刻
Kobe睽违两年再度回到了Staple Center的中央
这一次，湖人的一切再度如同飞散的彩纸一样包围着他
球迷不断呼喊著"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一如往常的传了一个意想不到的no-look pass
跟大家宣布Kobe是湖人队史上最伟大的球员
Jeanie Buss则忍着眼泪中感谢Kobe对于湖人的始终如一
接下来，在比赛的中场休息时间，Kobe再度在关键的时刻出场
他可以理所当然的骄傲的站着，看着Lakers史无前例的退休同一个球员的两个号码
此时8号与24号球衣缓缓的出现在Staple Center上层，陪伴着包含其他9位传奇球星退休
的号码
之后，Kobe找到了Shaq，并在离开球场前给他一个巨大的拥抱
"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说 "对我来说，重点不在于我高挂了球衣，重点是那些曾经高挂球衣的伟大球星，如
果没有他们，今天我不可能有机会在这里"
接着Kobe优雅的表示 "重点是在于体现他们在球衣中留下来的精神，让接下来的20年能比
过去的20年更进步"
这是一个艰难并充满挑战的过程，不会再有一段一样的旅程了，一位运动员，将他20年奉
献给他最爱的球队
见证了它的起起落落，直到这段最终拿下五座冠军的旅程终于在2016年的春天画下句点
Kobe 39岁了，他远离球场，挑战了影片与科技的产业，在中场拨放的短片正是他最近的
成果
而根据Kobe退休的信而创作的"Dear Basketball"短片也获得奥斯卡入围的肯定
在今天，至少今晚，Kobe回来了，就像他没有离开过
赛前，Staple Center外挤满了自从2010 Finals以外最多的人潮
许多没有票的人，聚在一个叫做Kobeland的游乐场，其中的游乐设施上面有着8号与24号
的小摩天轮(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.
赛前当Kobe再度走向通往休息室的隧道，但这次它推着他1岁大的小女儿Bianka
Kobe说 "她是我今晚最大的顾虑，不知道她有没有办法撑完比赛..."
当比赛开始后，Kobe抱着在大腿上的Bianka坐在场边，欣赏著湖人小将们努力的将比赛逼
入延长赛
在他身边的是O’Neal、道奇的经理以及Jabbar与Bill Russell，以及湖人的名宿们
Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom 与 Rick Fox 也到场参加这场
典礼
Lakers帮Kobe准备了最大间的采访室，最近两次使用的时机是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.
今天我问了Kobe，如果只有一个机会，你会选择退休8号还是24号呢?
我希望他选择24号
8号的时候，他是个孩子，24号，已经是个成熟的男人了
8号的时候，在Shaq身边得到3冠军，24号时，他带领湖人再夺下2次冠军，而那位孩子已
经成为了成熟的领袖了
所以是哪个? 8或24 ?
Kobe微笑着说"这很难选，但是8号有一件事24号一定做不到，就是长头发的能力...这真
的很艰难"
当我指着我的秃头表示赞同时，他说 "我在多年前不懂，现在我懂了"
接着他收起了笑容并说 "这真的真的很难选，24号的挑战更巨大，而我通常会被困难的挑
战所吸引，就生理来说，则代表着更多折磨"
他继续说 "面对Celtics的系列脚骨碎裂，面对手指骨折，这些在我生涯后半段所遇到的
，都是在我篮球生涯中遇到的最艰困的挑战"
Kobe说 "所以如果你要逼我选一个，因为这些原因，我会选择24号"
我猜当Kobe要立铜像在Staple Center外时，将会是在2010 Finals击败Boston时那振臂庆
祝的双手做为雕像，而他将会穿着24号球衣
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.
中场的典礼在Kobe感谢著大家并说 "I love you, Mamba out"正式画下句点，他离开球场
并拥抱了场边所有见到的人们
在拥抱Shaq与Fisher时球迷们发出了响亮的欢呼声
在这个晚上，所有湖人的一切涌上所有球迷的心头
Buss对Kobe说 "我们所能要求的，就是看你在场上奋斗，但你却将你的一切，给了我们"
这座城市再一次的将Kobe给大家的一切捧在手心，并看着两件球衣同时出现在Staple
Center，上面乘载着我们永远都会记得的感动。