Basketball is the Soul of New York City
籃球是紐約的城市之魂
原文鏈接： https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/basketball-game-parks-nyc/
The streetlights have already been turned on, but it doesn’t matter. Classic Jay-Z songs blare from a cheap speaker and a group of old heads sit on a bench, angrily debating something about hoops. A few 5-year-olds run around behind them, dribbling with mini basketballs, while another pickup game keeps rolling along. From eastern Queens to the top of the Bronx, this is how it goes every day—New York City basketball never stops.
街燈早已亮起，但是沒有關係。Jay-Z的經典歌曲在廉價的擴音器中叫嚷著，一群老鐵們坐在場邊激烈的討論著一些關於籃球的事情。一群5歲左右的孩子在他們身後用他們的迷你籃球運球奔跑著，而另一邊，一場街頭比賽正如火如荼。從東皇后區到布朗克斯，這就是人們的日常生活—紐約籃球從不停息。
It starts early, around 10. That’s when the older players get there, nailing bank shots while wearing beat-up sneaks. There’s still shade in the morning and the breeze will saunter through the air every few moments. Parents stroll by with their kids, dogs get to galloping with wild grins. The smell of bacon, egg and cheeses mixes with the scent of the asphalt.
球場的氣氛很早就開始熱鬧起來了，大約十點左右，一些老球皮就穿著吊炸天的球鞋來到球場完成漂亮的投籃了。清晨仍有些許陰涼，微風時時在空氣中穿梭。家長們帶著孩子在一旁漫步，狗在四周歡快的瘋跑。培根，雞蛋和奶酪的味道混合著柏油路的味道在空氣中瀰漫著。
The vets calmly keep shooting, getting their reps in before games start in a few hours, before they sit to watch the action. They were the main attraction at one point, when the game was different but the park was the same.
老球皮們靜靜的繼續投籃，以讓他們的身體在即將開始的比賽前，在他們坐在場邊充當看客前做好準備。他們曾經是這個公園的焦點，但是如今公園還是那個公園，但是比賽已經完全不同了。
The ballplayers arrive around noon. They take their time when they get there, making sure everyone knows they’ve pulled up. They give daps to just about everyone. It’s a lock that at least one person is about to make fun of them—hairstyles, sneakers, clothes, lack of on-court skills are the usual points of emphasis. That trash talk lasts all day.
球手們在大概中午的時候都到了球場。他們慢慢的來到球場，確認所有人都知道他們的到來。他們給幾乎所有人帶來了談資。可以肯定的是，至少會有一個人將會嘲笑他們，或是髮型，或是衣著，或是場上糟糕的表現，這些都是常規操作。這樣的垃圾話將會持續一整天。
The sun’s fully breaking through when the day’s first game tips off. It doesn’t take long for that trash talk to hit the court.
噹噹天的第一場比賽哨聲響起時，太陽已高高升起。那些垃圾話當然也不會太晚登場。
“He can’t guard me.”
“他防不住我。”
“This dude’s feeb.”
“這貨真菜。”
“Get that shit outta here.”
“滾一邊去。”
And then the yelling. Foul calls, who touched the ball last, who actually called next. The weather gets hotter and the arguments get louder. On and off the court, a day at the park is about proving you belong and sticking up for yourself. There are people coming to take your spot, your reputation and your dignity.
與此同時，還有那些最後碰到了球而後卻被吹罰了犯規的叫喊聲甚囂塵上。天氣變得越來越熱，那爭吵聲也越來越大。無論場上場下，在公園的這一天都是關於你自己所屬、關於為自己戰鬥的一天。這裡總有人來奪走你的鵝位置，你的名聲還有你的尊嚴。
From sun-up to sun-down, it’s time to perform. Basketball is more than a game here. It’s the soul of the city.
從日出到日落，那是展現自我的時候。籃球在這裡不僅僅是一項運動。是這座城市的靈魂。
One time for Holcombe Rucker. He wanted to give the youth an environment to play ball and to improve their academics. “Each one, teach one” was his motto. He started a basketball tournament in 1950, played at a handful of courts around Harlem. The tourney blew up damn near instantly, and by the ’60s, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Earl Monroe were among the players coming from out of town to do battle against NYC’s best.
有一次Holcombe Rucker 想要給年輕人一個打球贏得更高學歷的機會。“遇一人，教一人”是他的格言。1950年，他在哈勒姆的幾個小球場上創立了一個籃球錦標賽。隨著60年代的威爾特-張伯倫，J博士，厄爾門羅等加入並對抗紐約當地最出色的球手時，這個比賽幾乎立刻就炸開了鍋。
Rucker started the wave, creating the idea of outdoor tournaments. It wasn’t long before the rest of the city caught on. Soul in the Hole in Brooklyn, West 4th Street in downtown Manhattan, Dyckman and Kingdome uptown, Hoops in the Sun in the Bronx and a whole bunch of other famous tournaments owe Rucker for changing the game.
洛克開啟了潮流，創造了戶外比賽的先例，很快整個城市都開始效仿。布魯克林的洞中之魂，曼哈頓西第四大街，狄克曼和金頂住宅區，太陽上的籃筐和一大片其他著名的錦標賽都要感謝洛克改變了比賽。
Rucker’s the reason that New York City parks have become so important. Without his emphasis on going to the park, it wouldn’t have become a haven. In its heyday the Rucker tournament had people sitting on top of fences and watching from rooftops to see Erving, Connie Hawkins and Earl Manigault soar through the air.
紐約城市公園已經變得至關重要，這一切都歸功於洛克。如果沒有他對於去公園這件事情的重視，那裡不會變成這樣一個天堂。在這項賽事的鼎盛時期，有人甚至坐在圍欄上，坐在屋頂上看J博士，康尼霍金斯和厄爾-曼尼高爾特在天空中飛翔。
And to keep it a buck, New York becoming the Mecca of Basketball can be traced back to Rucker’s vision to use the park as a way to improve lives and underline the influence of schooling. Players flocked to his tournament because they understood New York had the toughest ballplayers and that the park was the game’s realest stage.
公平的說，紐約能成為籃球的麥加聖地，要追溯到洛克想要用籃球，用這個公園讓孩子們提高生活水平，獲得更高學歷的想法的時候。球員們蜂擁而至，因為他們知道，紐約有最難對付的球手，同時那裡又是比賽最真實的舞臺。
Dyckman has taken over in the past few years, with up-and-comers like Isaiah Washington and Hamidou Diallo keeping the park all the way live. Appearances by numerous NBA players, including D’Angelo Russell, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, whose game was cancelled because fans wouldn’t get off the court, have only bolstered Dyckman’s standing as NY’s current top court. Instead of sitting on fences, though, Dyckman crowds light up social media, posting the park’s one-on-one battles for the whole world to see.
在過去的幾年裡，狄克曼開始逐漸接手，像以賽亞-華盛頓和哈米杜-迪亞洛這樣的人一直在公園裡來來往往。還有很多NBA球員也經常出現，包括迪安吉洛-拉塞爾，凱文-杜蘭特和凱里-歐文，由於粉絲不願離開球場，主辦方不得不取消了比賽，這讓狄克曼成為了紐約當下最頂級的球場。除了坐在圍欄頂上，狄克曼的觀眾也引爆了社交媒體，他們把公園裡球手鬥牛的視頻上傳到網上，這樣整個世界都能看到。
There are over 500 outdoor basketball courts in the five boroughs. These blacktops have been the starting point for some of the game’s most influential talents. Kareem Abdul- Jabbar. Tiny Archibald. Chris Mullin. Kemba Walker. Rafer Alston. Bernard King. Lance Stephenson. Fly Williams. Joe Hammond. Pee Wee Kirkland. Tyron “Alimoe” Evans. Earl Manigault. Connie Hawkins. Long before they were dominating the NBA or crafting stories that would be passed down like basketball fables, they were just kids going to the park. Whether or not they knew it, they were on the fast-track.
在紐約五大區大概有超過500個戶外籃球場，這些球場已經成為一些最具影響力的天才們的出發點。賈巴爾，阿奇博爾德，穆林，肯巴-沃克，阿爾斯通，伯納德-金，芬森，福萊威廉姆斯，喬-哈蒙德，科克蘭德，泰隆“阿里莫”埃文斯。厄爾-曼尼高爾特，康尼-霍金斯。在他們統治NBA或者書寫自己的故事前，他們就在這裡像傳說一樣被人們傳頌，他們那時只是一個逛公園的孩子。無論他們是否知道，他們都已登上了快速軌道。
These courts are about way more than just the game. They’re teachers, geared up in overdrive, putting people in positions to rapidly grow. They present real-life situations for all ages. More often than not, kids all around the city had a bunch of their firsts at the park. First kiss, first fight, first dunk, first time facing adversity without the help of their parents.
這些球場已經超越了比賽本身。他們是導師，像齒輪一樣高速傳動，把人們放在快速成長的位置。他們展現了所有年齡段的真實生活。全城的孩子多多少少都是在公園裡有了他們第一個座位，第一次接吻，第一次打架，第一次喝酒，第一次在沒有父母幫助的情況下面對困難。
The park is a centralized spot, a place where the neighborhood gets scaled down in size and everything happens at once. There’s constant communication. Laughing with friends, talking to strangers, buying water bottles from buddy trying to make a couple of dollars. Adults reminisce on the good days, teenagers cause trouble and the little kids try desperately to get in on the fun.
公園是一箇中心點，是一個鄰里間距離縮小，所有一切都能立刻發生的地方。這裡有不斷的交流，有朋友間的歡笑，陌生人之間的交談，從兄弟那裡買水試圖賺點小錢等等這樣的小事。大人們在回憶美好時光，青少年在那裡惹是生非，小孩子們在那裡竭盡全力找樂子。
Because the park is more than fun—it’s addicting. When summer comes, hands are permanently stained by the asphalt and the park’s aroma lingers on every piece of clothing. Life becomes a constant loop of wins and losses, of makes and misses, of sunshine and hoops.
因為公園不僅僅是找樂子的地方，那是一個讓人著迷的地方。當夏日來臨，手被球場上的瀝青染色，公園的香氣遺留在每一件衣物上。生活變成了贏或輸，成功和失敗，陽光和籃筐的無限循環。
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