Basketball is the Soul of New York City
篮球是纽约的城市之魂
原文链接： 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.
街灯早已亮起，但是没有关系。Jay-Z的经典歌曲在廉价的扩音器中叫嚷着，一群老铁们坐在场边激烈的讨论着一些关于篮球的事情。一群5岁左右的孩子在他们身后用他们的迷你篮球运球奔跑着，而另一边，一场街头比赛正如火如荼。从东皇后区到布朗克斯，这就是人们的日常生活—纽约篮球从不停息。
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.
球场的气氛很早就开始热闹起来了，大约十点左右，一些老球皮就穿着吊炸天的球鞋来到球场完成漂亮的投篮了。清晨仍有些许阴凉，微风时时在空气中穿梭。家长们带着孩子在一旁漫步，狗在四周欢快的疯跑。培根，鸡蛋和奶酪的味道混合着柏油路的味道在空气中弥漫着。
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.
老球皮们静静的继续投篮，以让他们的身体在即将开始的比赛前，在他们坐在场边充当看客前做好准备。他们曾经是这个公园的焦点，但是如今公园还是那个公园，但是比赛已经完全不同了。
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.
球手们在大概中午的时候都到了球场。他们慢慢的来到球场，确认所有人都知道他们的到来。他们给几乎所有人带来了谈资。可以肯定的是，至少会有一个人将会嘲笑他们，或是发型，或是衣着，或是场上糟糕的表现，这些都是常规操作。这样的垃圾话将会持续一整天。
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.
当当天的第一场比赛哨声响起时，太阳已高高升起。那些垃圾话当然也不会太晚登场。
“He can’t guard me.”
“他防不住我。”
“This dude’s feeb.”
“这货真菜。”
“Get that shit outta here.”
“滚一边去。”
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.
与此同时，还有那些最后碰到了球而后却被吹罚了犯规的叫喊声甚嚣尘上。天气变得越来越热，那争吵声也越来越大。无论场上场下，在公园的这一天都是关于你自己所属、关于为自己战斗的一天。这里总有人来夺走你的鹅位置，你的名声还有你的尊严。
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.
从日出到日落，那是展现自我的时候。篮球在这里不仅仅是一项运动。是这座城市的灵魂。
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 想要给年轻人一个打球赢得更高学历的机会。“遇一人，教一人”是他的格言。1950年，他在哈勒姆的几个小球场上创立了一个篮球锦标赛。随着60年代的威尔特-张伯伦，J博士，厄尔门罗等加入并对抗纽约当地最出色的球手时，这个比赛几乎立刻就炸开了锅。
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.
洛克开启了潮流，创造了户外比赛的先例，很快整个城市都开始效仿。布鲁克林的洞中之魂，曼哈顿西第四大街，狄克曼和金顶住宅区，太阳上的篮筐和一大片其他著名的锦标赛都要感谢洛克改变了比赛。
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.
纽约城市公园已经变得至关重要，这一切都归功于洛克。如果没有他对于去公园这件事情的重视，那里不会变成这样一个天堂。在这项赛事的鼎盛时期，有人甚至坐在围栏上，坐在屋顶上看J博士，康尼霍金斯和厄尔-曼尼高尔特在天空中飞翔。
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.
公平的说，纽约能成为篮球的麦加圣地，要追溯到洛克想要用篮球，用这个公园让孩子们提高生活水平，获得更高学历的想法的时候。球员们蜂拥而至，因为他们知道，纽约有最难对付的球手，同时那里又是比赛最真实的舞台。
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.
在过去的几年里，狄克曼开始逐渐接手，像以赛亚-华盛顿和哈米杜-迪亚洛这样的人一直在公园里来来往往。还有很多NBA球员也经常出现，包括迪安吉洛-拉塞尔，凯文-杜兰特和凯里-欧文，由于粉丝不愿离开球场，主办方不得不取消了比赛，这让狄克曼成为了纽约当下最顶级的球场。除了坐在围栏顶上，狄克曼的观众也引爆了社交媒体，他们把公园里球手斗牛的视频上传到网上，这样整个世界都能看到。
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.
在纽约五大区大概有超过500个户外篮球场，这些球场已经成为一些最具影响力的天才们的出发点。贾巴尔，阿奇博尔德，穆林，肯巴-沃克，阿尔斯通，伯纳德-金，芬森，福莱威廉姆斯，乔-哈蒙德，科克兰德，泰隆“阿里莫”埃文斯。厄尔-曼尼高尔特，康尼-霍金斯。在他们统治NBA或者书写自己的故事前，他们就在这里像传说一样被人们传颂，他们那时只是一个逛公园的孩子。无论他们是否知道，他们都已登上了快速轨道。
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.
这些球场已经超越了比赛本身。他们是导师，像齿轮一样高速传动，把人们放在快速成长的位置。他们展现了所有年龄段的真实生活。全城的孩子多多少少都是在公园里有了他们第一个座位，第一次接吻，第一次打架，第一次喝酒，第一次在没有父母帮助的情况下面对困难。
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.
公园是一个中心点，是一个邻里间距离缩小，所有一切都能立刻发生的地方。这里有不断的交流，有朋友间的欢笑，陌生人之间的交谈，从兄弟那里买水试图赚点小钱等等这样的小事。大人们在回忆美好时光，青少年在那里惹是生非，小孩子们在那里竭尽全力找乐子。
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.
因为公园不仅仅是找乐子的地方，那是一个让人着迷的地方。当夏日来临，手被球场上的沥青染色，公园的香气遗留在每一件衣物上。生活变成了赢或输，成功和失败，阳光和篮筐的无限循环。
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