There was a Chinese giant who played a pivotal role in the rise of basketball in China.
曾经有一位篮坛“巨人”，他在推动中国篮球崛起的过程中起到了关键作用。
He's the first ever No. 1 pick in the NBA draft from overseas.
他是史上第一位来自美国本土以外的NBA状元秀。
He's among the NBA's best centers.
他是NBA中最出色的中锋之一。
He was, as of the 2010-11 season, the tallest player in the NBA and the most recognized face hailing from the world's most populous nation.
他是2010-2011赛季NBA中最“高大”的球员，同时也是来自全球人口最多国家的最知名的人物之一。
His name — Yao Ming.
他的名字叫——姚明。
From day one, Yao Ming had the makings of a basketball superstar in his blood. Born on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai, one of the most developed cities in China, Yao entered the world as the only child of two accomplished former Chinese basketball players who stand 6'7" and 6'3", respectively.
姚明一出生就具备了成为一名篮球超级巨星的潜质。1980年9月12日，姚明出生在中国的大都市上海。他是两位身高分别为208cm和188cm的前国家队篮球运动员唯一的孩子。
According to the book Operation Yao Ming, Yao's parents were convinced to marry each other so that they would produce a dominant athlete and, during Yao's childhood, he was given special treatment to help him become a great basketball player.
据《姚明传》一书透露，姚明的父母相信，他们的结合能够培育出一位超级运动员。当姚明还只是一名儿童时，他就开始接受特殊训练，以为日后能将其培养成为一位杰出的篮球运动员。
While growing up as an abnormally tall child, Yao started playing basketball at age nine. By the time he reached 13, he started playing for the Shanghai Sharks junior team, and four years later, joined the senior team and played for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
还是一个孩子时，姚明的身材就异乎寻常的高大。他9岁开始接受篮球训练，13岁时加入上海东方大鲨鱼篮球俱乐部的少年队，四年后入选大鲨鱼队，并在中国男子篮球职业联赛（CBA）中打了五年球。
In his final year with the Shanghai Sharks, he led the team to a championship, averaging 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game while shooting 76.6 percent from the field during the playoffs.
在上海大鲨鱼队中效力的最后一年，姚明带领这支球队夺得了CBA的总冠军。他场均38.9分，20.2个篮板，在季后赛中的场均命中率更是达到了76.6%。
In 2002, after negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. Since then, he had emerged as one of the Houston Rocket's most valuable players.
2002年，姚明从CBA中脱颖而出，被美国休斯敦火箭队作为NBA状元秀选中。自此，他逐渐成为火箭队中最有价值的球员之一。
Before Yao's initial NBA season, several noted commentators predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA, and Charles Barkley even promised that he would kiss Kenny Smith's behind if Yao scored more than 19 points in any of his rookie-season games.
在姚明即将开启其NBA职业生涯前，一些美国知名的体育评论员曾断言他在NBA中不会有所作为。篮球评论员、前著名NBA球星查尔斯·巴克利甚至放话说，如果姚明能在其新秀赛季的任何一场比赛中得分超过19分，他就会去亲吻肯尼·史密斯（另一位前NBA球星兼篮球评论员）的屁股。
Only after seven games, Yao began to dazzle fans with brilliant performances. On November 17, 2002, he scored 20 points, on perfect nine-of-nine from the field and two-of-two shooting from the free-throw line, against the Los Angeles Lakers. Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the rear end of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion.
然而，仅在七场比赛之后，姚明就开始以他炫目的表现令球迷们为之惊异。在2002年11月17日对阵洛杉矶湖人队的比赛中，他9投9中，2次罚球也全部命中，一举夺下20分。巴克利兑现了诺言，亲吻了史密斯买下的一头驴的屁股。
In his confrontation against the Dallas Mavericks ten days later, he scored an amazing 30 points.
而在十天后对阵达拉斯小牛队的比赛中，姚明砍下了惊人的30分。
Yao soon became a marquee name and, eventually, he was perceived as a rival of the NBA superstar center Shaquille O'Neal.
姚明由此声名鹊起，并被视为NBA超级中锋沙奎尔·奥尼尔的劲敌。
O'Neal would be criticized for comments he made before his first clash with Yao, as he told a reporter to leave Yao a message: "Tell Yao Ming, Ching chong-yang-wah-ah-soh," a "message" which mimicked the Chinese language.
奥尼尔在他与姚明对阵的首场比赛前，曾让记者给姚明捎话：“告诉姚明，Ching chong-yang-wah-ah-soh。”这段模仿汉语的挑衅性的话带有明显的歧视与藐视的意味。
Yao took it in stride, and eased the situation by joking that "Chinese is a hard language to learn."
姚明从容接招。为了缓和气氛，他幽默地回应道：“汉语是一门很难学的语言。”
In the game, Yao scored six points, blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes and made a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime. Yao finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, while O'Neal ended up with 31 points, 13 rebounds and no blocks.
而在这两位NBA巨人的首场对决中，姚明一开赛就夺下了6分，并成功阻断奥尼尔两次。在距离加时赛结束还剩最后10秒钟时，是姚明的一记强力灌篮锁定了胜局。此役，姚明砍下10分，10个篮板和6次阻断，而奥尼尔的数据是31分，13个篮板，一次成功阻断也没有。
After nine seasons in the league and enjoying an illustrious career with 8 All-Star selections and a career average of 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, on a rainy day on July 20, 2011, Yao Ming, the Chinese Giant, the tallest man in the NBA, hung up his No. 11 jersey for good, leaving behind giant footprints on this prestigious basketball court.
在其所经历的NBA的9个赛季中，姚明8次入选全明星队，职业生涯场均达到了19分、9.2个篮板和1.9次阻断。2011年7月20日，姚明这位中国巨人，这位当时NBA中最“高大”的球员，将自己的11号球衣永远地高悬了起来，在这个群星璀璨的篮球场上留下了一连串巨人的足迹。
But the book of Yao is yet to be folded...
不过，姚明的故事还没有结束……
（作者厉振羽，系国际主流媒体双语体育专栏作家、中国日报网特约专栏作家）
来源：人民网
