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Dwight Howard has been on a downward trajectory for most of the past decade. He wasn’t just a perennial All-Star, at his peak, Howard was considered the league’s premier big man.
德懷特·霍華德在過去十年的大部分時間裡都在走下坡路。過去他不僅僅是一個常年的全明星，在他的巔峰時期，霍華德被認為是聯盟的頭號大個子。
trajectory [trəˈdʒektəri] n.(射體在空中的) 軌道，彈道，軌跡;
premier：[ˈpremiə(r)]adj. 首要的；第一的；最初的n. 總理，首相；（加拿大的）地區總理
Much is made of his three Defensive Player of the Year awards but Howard’s signature accomplishment remains the Magic’s trip to the 2009 NBA Finals, beating the Celtics and LeBron’s Cavaliers along the way.
儘管三獲年度最佳防守球員的榮譽完全值得被大肆吹捧，但霍華德的標誌性成就仍然是率領魔術隊在2009年的季後賽中連克擊敗凱爾特人隊和擁有詹姆斯的騎士隊，歷史性的闖進總決賽。
along the way:一路上
時間回溯到十餘年前，那時的霍華德單核帶隊打進總決賽，更是單換詹姆斯的存在，曾經的最佳防守球員，最佳陣容，全明星，奧運會金牌，還有令世人銘記的超人扣籃王。這些超人的關環令他不能自拔，可再鬼魅的魔術也有被揭穿的一天…
As recently as last summer, Howard was a laughingstock who, if not for the Lakers, would probably have been out of the league. Not only did his plodding, post-oriented style make him a dinosaur.
就在去年夏天，霍華德還是一個笑柄，如果不是湖人，他可能早就被聯盟淘汰了。霍華德不再敏捷的身手、和過時的風格讓他難以適應現代籃球的節奏。
plod [plɑːd] v.艱難地行走; 吃力地行進; n.沉重緩慢的前進; 沉重的踏步聲;
He was also deservedly seen as a locker room cancer, a black hole of undeserved ego who either didn’t understand or just didn’t care that his behavior affected others.
他也被理所當然地視為更衣室裡的毒瘤，一個自我意識膨脹的黑洞，他不理解也根本不在乎他的行為會影響到別人。
自離開魔術之後，霍華德再也沒了往昔的風采, 沒有哪支球隊能容下這個過氣又麻煩的魔獸。舞榭歌臺，風流總被雨打風吹去。霍華德給予球迷的籃球記憶險些隨著揮霍的青春而蕭蕭落幕…
Nearing the end of the 2019 NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers took a risk signing Dwight Howard to a non-guaranteed contract.
在2019年NBA休賽期即將結束之際，洛杉磯湖人隊以一個無保障合同冒險簽下了霍華德。
non-guaranteed:無保障的
這份來自曾經效力過湖人的非保障合同無疑是霍華德救贖之旅的開始。他不再眷戀虛榮，不再追求數據，不再抱怨，昔日聯盟第一中鋒甘願作麥基的替補。如今的魔獸成熟的讓人心疼。
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浪子回頭金不換，衣錦還鄉做賢人
Howard has been a canny veteran for the Lakers as JaVale McGee‘s backup center and an energy guy whose enthusiasm is infectious.
作為賈維爾·麥基的替補中鋒，霍華德是湖人精明的老將，他的熱情是有感染力的。
The most important factor in all of this is that Howard has been really good this season. He and McGee combined have created one of the league’s most powerful big men, averaging 14.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game as a tandem. Those numbers are better than that of Rudy Gobert.
其中最重要的因素是霍華德這個賽季出色的表現。他和麥基一起為湖人隊提供了全聯盟最好的內線保障。他們場均能拿下14.6分，13.1個籃板，1.0次搶斷，3.2次蓋帽。這些數據都比魯迪·戈伯特的要好。
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魔獸終於進化成快樂獸
Beyond the success Howard has had, what’s undeniable is the fact that he has been one of the most fun players on this team all season. It’s clear he’s enjoying the game far more than he has in recent seasons.
除了霍華德的成功之外，不可否認的是他整個賽季都是球隊中最有趣的球員之一。很明顯，他比最近幾個賽季更享受比賽。
undeniable [ˌʌndɪˈnaɪəbl] adj.不可否認的; 確鑿的;
“I think a lot of times in the past it wasn’t accepted for guys to have fun like this on the court. But I think what it’s showing is just pure joy,” Howard said. “For me, this is like my
sanctuary. For artists, they want to show how thankful they are, they make music. For a basketball player, it’s on the court.”“我想在過去很多時候，男人們像我這樣在球場上純粹地享受樂趣是不被接受的。但我認為它所展示的只是純粹的快樂，”霍華德說。“對我來說，這就像我的避難所。對於藝術家來說，他們要是想要表達他們是多麼的感性，他們就寫下樂曲。而對於籃球運動員來說，快樂就該在球場上。”
sanctuary [ˈsæŋktʃueri] n.庇護; 保護; 避難所;
Howard has clearly found his love for the sport again and playing good basketball on a championship contender definitely means he likely won’t lose that joy.
很明顯，霍華德又找回了對這項運動的熱愛，在一支有實力競爭總冠軍的隊伍中打好籃球意味著他不會失去這份快樂。
definitely:[ˈdefɪnətli] adv. 清楚地，當然；明確地，肯定地
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超人歸來，重返扣籃大賽
After over a decade, Howard is reportedly participating in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest. Of course, most fans' minds instantly flew to the 2008 event, in which Howard threw on a Superman cape and jammed it home from the free throw line.
據報道，十多年後，霍華德將參加2020年NBA扣籃大賽。當然，大多數球迷的腦海裡立刻浮現出2008年的那場比賽，霍華德披上超人披風，將球從罰球線上灌進籃框。
Whether he’s actually able to do anything interesting at the Dunk Contest next month, Dwight Howard participating at all certainly makes the event more inherently interesting than it would have been otherwise.
不管下個月的扣籃大賽上他能不能做點什麼有趣的事，德懷特·霍華德參加扣籃大賽肯定會讓這件事變得更有趣。
participate [pɑːrˈtɪsɪpeɪt] v.參加; 參與;
We know that it’s impossible for Howard to get back to where he once was. But it feels pretty good to have him back.
我們知道霍華德不可能回到他曾經的高度，但他能從迷失中找回自我也是一件足夠好的事。
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