Sean Highkin 傅婧琪
At the NBA's annual summer league, the crowds are often just as compelling as the on-court action.
在一年一度的NBA夏季聯(lián)賽,觀眾席的精彩程度通常不亞于場上的比賽。
Fans converge on Las Vegas from all over the country, and sometimes abroad, to watch their favorite team's rookies play against professional-level competition for the first time. It's a diverse crowd,and with that comes an array of old,obscure jerseys that makes for elite people-watching.
全美各地,甚至有來自海外的球迷來到拉斯維加斯,觀看他們喜愛球隊的新秀第一次參與職業(yè)級別的競爭。這是一個多元化的觀眾構(gòu)成,觀眾席也因此出現(xiàn)了眾多古老,奇特的球衣,使得觀眾席也充滿看點。
You'll see plenty of Kobes,Jordans, LeBrons and Steph Currys, sure. But you're just as likely to run across someone in a Warriors Anthony Randolph. Or a Knicks Landry Fields. Or a Lakers Glen Rice.
當然,我們能看到很多科比,喬丹,勒布朗和庫里的球衣。但你很有可能偶遇一個身穿勇士安東尼·蘭多夫球衣的人,或者尼克斯的蘭德里·菲爾茲,或者湖人格倫萊斯的人。
"It's kind of like the Comic-Con of the NBA," says Shaun Gordon, a Clippers fan from the Los Angeles area who made the summer trip to Vegas for the first time this year.
“這有點像NBA的漫展?!眮碜月迳即壍貐^(qū)的快船球迷肖恩·戈登表示,今年是他第一次來到拉斯維加斯觀看夏季聯(lián)賽的比費。
Gordon is here sporting a Chris Kaman jersey, which he got during the bad old days, before the Clippers became the respected, winning organization they are now.
戈登穿的是一件克里斯·卡曼的球衣,這是他在快船成為如今受人尊重,具有嬴球文化的球隊前的黑暗時期購買的。
"A lot of folks got on the bandwagon during the start of Lob City," he says. "I didn't want to take flak from Lakers fans for being a bandwagoner by getting a CP3or Blake Griffin, so I stuck with Kaman."
“很多人在空接之城時代開始時成了嬴球蜜?!彼f,“我不想因為我們得到了克里斯·保羅或布雷克·格里芬被湖人球迷嘲諷為嬴球蜜,所以我一直穿著卡曼的球衣?!?/p>
Old NBA jerseys have an obvious hipster appeal that has made them commonplace at music festivals in recent years. But summer league is an ideal environment for fans to bring out the deepest cuts in their collections.
老NBA球衣有著顯著的時尚感,這讓它們近些年來在苗樂節(jié)上頻頻出現(xiàn),但夏季聯(lián)賽才是球迷拿出壓箱底收藏的理想環(huán)境。
Anyone who has never been needs to know only two things about the event. One is that Las Vegas in the middle of July is hot. On a good day, the temperature will still be in triple digits by noon. The other is that, with few exceptions, the quality of the basketball being played is low.
從來沒有在現(xiàn)場看過夏季聯(lián)賽的人只需要理解兩個要點即可。第一,七月中旬的拉斯維加斯異常炎熱。天氣好時,中午的氣溫會突破華氏100度。第二,除非少數(shù)例外情況,籃球賽的質(zhì)量很低。
Fans buy tickets to see their favorite rookies, but most of the players on the court will never seean NBA roster. The games are glorified scrimmages, with only occasional flashes of excitement that will tell you anything about how a player will look against NBA competition.
球迷買票為了看他們喜歡的新秀,但場上的大部分球員永遠沒有登上NBA賽場的機會。夏季聯(lián)賽只是名字更好聽的對抗賽,只是偶爾出現(xiàn)的高光表現(xiàn)能讓人一窺一名球員未來面對NBA級別對抗時的表現(xiàn)。
Despite these two factors, the event gets bigger every year.All 30 teams now have a presence,and 2019 saw the addition of two international all-star teams:one from China and one from Croatia. Opening weekend sold out completely in anticipation of the debut of this year's No. 1 overall pick, Zion Williamson.
盡管存在以上兩個問題,夏季聯(lián)賽的規(guī)模卻在逐年變大。所有30支球隊均參加了夏季聯(lián)賽,2019年還有中國隊及來自克羅地亞的球隊參加了比賽??释欢媒衲隊钤悴潭鳌ね谋憩F(xiàn)使得第一周的球票一售而空。
The growth of summer league, in spite of the debilitating heat and quality of basketball, can be attributed to just how obsessive the most diehard NBA fans are. It takes a certain level of devotion to the sport to drive or fly in from out of town to watch high-level pickup games in the desert during the NBA's off season dead zone.
盡管高溫讓人窒息,比賽質(zhì)量也不高,但夏季聯(lián)賽是死忠NBA球迷癡迷于這項運動的最好證明。你需要對籃球有著足夠的熱情,才會愿意在NBA休賽期開車或者坐飛機來到沙漠中看—場高水平的野球賽。
If anybody will genuinely appreciate a Joel Przybilla Blazers throwback jersey, it's other summer league attendees.
只有其他觀看夏季聯(lián)賽的球迷才會欣賞喬爾·普里茨比拉的復古球衣。
The Przybilla belongs to Ben Christensen, a Blazers fan who traveled to Vegas from Beaverton, Oregon, the Portland suburb most famous for being home to Nike headquarters. He sits in the stands at Cox Pavilion, the smaller of the two summer league gyms, with a binder full of cards he's looking to get autographed.
這件普里茨比拉的球衣屬于本·克里斯滕森,他從俄勒岡州比佛頓專程來到拉斯維加斯。作為波特蘭的郊區(qū),比佛頓以耐克總部所在地聞名。他坐在夏季聯(lián)賽兩座球館中較小的考克斯球館,拿著一堆希望獲得球員簽名的球星卡。
The jersey is a way to stand out in the crowd. He's a collector, fond of browsing eBay and thrift shops for old jerseys.
這件球衣是為了在觀眾席更顯眼。他是個收藏家,喜歡瀏覽易趣網(wǎng)和去商店淘舊球衣。
"When someone no longer plays for a team, a lot of people just give their jerseys to Goodwill," Christensen says. "For me, I collect whatever I can get."
“有人不再為球隊效力后,很多人會把球衣送到慈善中心?!笨死锼闺硎?,“對我來說,我會盡可能收集各種東西?!?/p>
Christensen will buy any jersey he sees. To this day, he's haunted by a Vin Baker Sonics jersey he saw in a Goodwill once and hesitated on purchasing. When he came back the next day, it was gone.
克里斯滕森會買下他看到的任何球衣。直到今天,他還為自己在慈善中心看到一件文·貝克球衣卻沒有買而懊惱。當他第二天回去想買時,球衣沒了。
"I don't pass anything up," he says. "If I see something cool, I can't not pull the trigger on it."
“我不會放棄任何東西。”他說,“只要看到好東西,我就不會不出手?!?/p>
As you might guess, that Baker jersey was present and accounted for elsewhere at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mitch Williams, a Toronto native who is attending his first summer league, has one on. He brought a few jerseys with him, including a Penny Hardaway Team USA jersey from 1996 that he wore on the Fourth of July. He's a child of the '90s with a lingering fondness for that era of jersey, and today he broke out the Baker, which he bought at a yard sale.
你大概能猜到,托馬斯&馬克中心球館里自然有其他人穿貝克的球衣。第一次來到現(xiàn)場觀看夏季聯(lián)費的多倫多人米奇·威廉姆斯就穿了一件。他還帶了幾件球衣,包括7月4日那天穿的“便士”哈達威1996年美國隊隊服。他對1990年代的球衣有著特殊感情,而這件貝克的球衣是他在家庭舊貨市場上買到的。
THE SUMMER LEAGUE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO JUST HOW OBSESSIVE THE MOST DIEHARDNBA FANS ARE.IF ANYBODY WILL GENUINELY APPRECIATE A JOEL PRZYBILLA BLAZERSTHROWBACK JERSEY, IT'S OTHER SUMMER LEAGUE ATTENDEES.
夏季聯(lián)賽是死忠NBA球迷癡迷于這項運動的最好證明。你需要對籃球有著足夠的熱情,才會愿意在NBA休賽期開車或者坐飛機來到沙漠中看一場高水平的野球賽。只有其他觀看夏季聯(lián)賽的球迷才會欣賞喬爾·普里茨比拉的復古球衣。
"When you see old Sonics jerseys, most people have Shawn Kemp,” Williams says. "So I got a Vin Baker."
“你能看到的大部分舊超音速球衣都是肖恩·坎普?!蓖匪拐f,“所以我弄了件文貝克?!?p>
Even Williams might have been jealous of another '90s Sonics jersey in the crowd: the No. 33 Hersey Hawkins jersey worn by Oliver Silberman, a Seattle native who's here with his brother, Niall (in a blue Magic Hardaway). The pair has several Sonics jerseys between them and relishes the chance to watch live NBA basketball that no longer exists in their hometown.
觀眾席里另一件1990年代超音速球衣甚至會讓威廉姆斯都嫉妒:奧利弗·希爾博曼穿的33號赫西·霍金斯。希爾博曼是西雅圖人,他和兄弟奈爾坐在一起(奈爾穿著一件哈達威的藍色魔術球衣)。這對兄弟有好幾件超音速球衣,他們很享受在現(xiàn)場觀看NBA比賽,因為自己的家鄉(xiāng)已經(jīng)沒有這種好事了。
"I wanted to wear it for the Thunder game, just so they know Seattle is in the house," Oliver says.
Niall, meanwhile, got plenty of compliments on his Hardaway jersey from Grizzlies fans, who presumably appreciate the job the former All-Star has done in turning around the University of Memphis men's basketball program.
“我想在雷霆的比賽里穿這件球衣,想讓他們知道西雅圖球迷來了。”奧利弗表示。與此同時,因為是這位前全明星帶領孟菲斯大學走出了低谷,穿著哈達威(現(xiàn)孟菲斯大學男籃主教練)球衣的奈爾受到了眾多灰熊球迷的稱贊。
The throwback jerseys are a way for fans and strangers to connect. It's a basketball tournament that doubles as a fashion show. Attendees notice which jerseys their fellow fans are wearing and give and receive props freely for their creativity.
復古球衣是球迷與陌生人聯(lián)絡感情的方式,夏季聯(lián)賽既是籃球賽,又是時裝秀。到場看比賽的人會注意其他觀眾的球衣,他們會因為創(chuàng)造力而發(fā)出或收獲贊賞。
"I saw a Rondo Kings jersey yesterday," Gordon says. "I had to take a picture of it and text it to my friend whos a Kings fan.”
“昨天我看到了件朗多的國王球衣。”戈登說,“我拍了照片,發(fā)給了我一位國王的球迷朋友?!?/p>
As summer league grows bigger, so too will the jersey subculture. With the event gaining more notoriety, it's more important than ever for fans to stand out in the crowd.
隨著夏季聯(lián)賽的規(guī)模越來越大,球衣亞文化也在逐步發(fā)展。隨著賽事的名氣越來越大,球迷在觀眾席中變得顯眼也就越來越重要。
"The whole retro jersey thing is coming back," Williams says. "It's really cool to see."
“復古球衣風潮回來了?!蓖匪拐f,“能看到這種現(xiàn)象挺酷的?!?/p>