Dear 13-year-old Ray,
亲爱的，13岁的雷：
When you get off the school bus tomorrow, you’re going to be in a whole new world. This is nothing new. Every time your father gets stationed at a new Air Force base, you have to say goodbye to your friends and start a new life. It’s the same routine once every three years or so. New school, new culture, new faces.
当你明天走下学校大巴的时候，你将会走进一个全新的世界。和过去几次一样，每次的父亲需要去空军基地驻扎的时候，你都不得不和自己的朋友说再见，准备迎接新的生活。这已经成为了每三年一次的习惯了。新的学校，新的文化，新的朋友。
Northern California. Then Germany. Then Oklahoma. Then England. Then Southern California.
北加利福尼亚。德国。俄克拉荷马。英格兰。南加利福尼亚。
And now, Dalzell, South Carolina.
这一次，南卡罗莱纳的Dalzell。
You’re used to being the kid that nobody knows. The majority of your existence has been about trying to find new friends, trying to show people that you’re a good person and that you mean no harm. You’re used to being an outsider.
你已经习惯做那个没有人认识的孩子了，你生活的大部分时间都花在了认识新朋友上，让其他人了解你出色的为人，你已经习惯做那个局外人了。
You’ve gotten pretty good at it.
这些事，你做的都还不错。
This time is different though. It’s the middle of the school year. Everybody already knows one another. You’re at a critical age, and kids are just.…
不过，这一次和过去有点不同。目前正是学年期间，每一个人都已经有了自己的朋友，你又在一个比较挑剔（critical)的年龄，这个年纪的孩子们通常都……
Kids are just mean.
小孩子都很“坏”。
You’ve grown up in a military household your whole life. Until now, your friends were all from military families. You walked around the neighborhood with your I.D. card hanging around your neck like a dog tag in case some unfamiliar MPs rolled by. You spent your formative elementary school years in Britain. So you don’t even realize it, but to some people, you speak very proper.
你的家人都有军事背景。到目前为止，你的朋友们也大多来自军事家庭。你在家附近玩耍的时候，脖子上都挂着ID牌，以防不认识你的宪兵产生什么误会。你在英国念小学，也许你自己都还没有意识到，和一些人相比，你的行为举止就已经非常得体了。
When you step off that school bus in South Carolina tomorrow and open your mouth, those kids are going to look at you like you’re an alien.
当你明天在南卡罗莱纳走上学校大巴，张嘴说话的时候，车里的孩子们会像外星人一样看着你。
“You talk like a white boy,” they’ll say.
“你说话的方式，就跟白人小孩一样。”他们会这样说道。
You’ll look around the school and see groups of kids all paired off, and you’ll feel like you don’t have a place.
而你，则会看看学校的周围，看到那些没有穿裤子的孩子。然后，你开始觉得自己格格不入。
You’ll think to yourself, I don’t understand. Who am I supposed to be?
你会想，“我到底应该成为什么样的人？”
I’m going to be 100% honest with you. I wish I could tell you that it will get easier, and that you’re going to blend in, and that it’s going to be alright. But you’re not going to fit in with the white kids, or the black kids … or the nerds … or even the jocks.
老实说吧，我真希望自己能告诉你这一切都会过去，你会逐渐融入这个氛围，一切都会变得没问题。但你就是没有办法和白人小孩打成一片，还有黑人小孩……还有书呆子……甚至还有运动狂们……
You’ll be the enemy to a lot of people simply because you’re not from around there.
你会成为很多人的敌人，仅仅因为你不是出生在这附近。
This will be both the toughest and the best thing that will ever happen to you.
这将会是发生在你身上最艰难，同时也是最好的事情。
What I want you to do is this: Go to the basketball court. Stay at the basketball court. You can build your entire existence there.
我希望你会这样做：去篮球场，并且一直待在那儿。你能在那里赢得大家的尊重。
The world is much bigger th an Dalzell, South Carolina. If you stick to the plan, you’ll see. Remember that when when you’re lying in bed on Saturday and Sunday mornings and you hear the engine of your father’s old Trans-Van start up outside.
这个世界比Dalzell要大得多。只要你专注于自己的计划，你会得到回报的。记住，当你在周六、周日的早上躺在床上的时候，听见爸爸的老式Trans-Van在外面启动的声音。
You know that sound. It’s not pretty.
你知道这声音的，一点都不好听。
All you’ll want to do is sleep, but grab your sneakers and run down the stairs because he will leave you. You have exactly two minutes before the heat kicks on in the van and he’s backing out of the driveway. He’s on military time, and if you don’t get to the Air Force base court by 0900 on the dot to put your name at the top of the sign-up sheet, you’re going to have to wait around all day to get a run in.
尽管你只想要再多睡一会儿，但你应该穿上自己的球鞋跑下楼去，因为他要出发了。在他的货车启动完成之前，你有2分钟的时间。他正在服役期间，如果你不能在上午9点前去到空军基地，将自己的名字上报进去的话，你就得在外面等上一整天才有机会溜进去。
You’ll learn a lot on that court. As a 13-year-old kid playing against grown men, you’ll learn to play in transition out of necessity. You’ll play so fast that all the airmen will start calling you “Showtime” when you walk into the gym.
在空军基地的篮球场上，你会学到很多东西。一个13岁的小孩和成年人之间的教练，你必须要适应这样的节奏。你要打出自己的节奏，这样那些空军才会在你走进球馆的时候，将你称为“Showtime”。
In between games, when you’re on the sidelines, I want you to listen very carefully to all the stories these guys tell.
在比赛间歇，当你坐在球场边的时候，我希望你仔细听那些军人说的故事。
You’re going to hear a lot of, “Man, I coulda …” on these courts.
你会听到很多人说，“哥们，我原本可以……”
Man, I wish I could go back in time.
“我真希望能回到过去。”
I’d have gone D-I.
“我原本有机会进一级联盟的。”
Booze got the best of me.
Man, I coulda.…
“我原本可以……”
Man, I shoulda.…
“我原本可以……”
I wish I could go back, young fella.…
“小伙子们，我真希望能回到过去啊……”
Don’t ever put yourself in the position to wish you could hop in a time machine, Ray. You need to stay focused, because things will only become more complicated as you have more success on the court.
雷，永远不要让自己在未来去期盼可以回到过去。你需要保持专注，因为随着你在球场上取得越来越多的成功，事情会开始变得越来越复杂。
When you start getting attention from colleges, some of your own teammates will say things like, “UConn? You’ll sit on the bench for four years.”
当你开始被一些大学相中的时候，你的一些队友会说：“康涅狄克？你会在替补席上坐四年的。”
Just because you don’t drink, they’ll say, “Man, you’re gonna be an alcoholic once you get to college. You won’t be ready. All they do is drink there.”
仅仅因为你从不喝酒，他们会说：“哥们，等你进大学后，你就会成为一个酒鬼的。你需要做好准备，大学生都是不停地喝酒。”
A lot of people don’t want to see you succeed. Don’t get into fistfights with these kids. Trust me, it will accomplish nothing.
很多人不想看到你取得成功，别和他们争斗。相信我，和他们争吵不会让你取得任何成功。
Instead, remember exactly who said those things.
你应该做的是，记住是哪些人说了这些话。
Remember how they said it.
记住他们说话的方式。
Remember their faces.
记住他们的脸。
Keep these voices inside your head and use them as fuel every single day when you wake up.
让这些声音不停地在你脑海中盘旋，把这些话作为你每天的动力。
And the voices telling you you’re the man? Those are the voices to keep out. When you start getting some national attention in high school, you’ll hear things like, “Ray’s jumpshot is God-given.”
至于那些说你“你是球星”之类的话？你要忘掉。当你在高中开始得到全国范围的关注时，你会听到一些诸如“雷的跳投是天赐的。”之类的话。
Listen: God doesn’t care whether you make your next jump shot.
听着，上帝才不关心你能不能投进下一个跳投。
God will give you a lot of things in life, but he’s not going to give you your jump shot. Only hard work will do that.
上帝会帮你很多事，但他不会帮你投进跳投。只有苦练才会。
Don’t be so naive as to think you’re ready for college ball.
还有，不要天真地以为自己已经准备好了打大学篮球。
Young fella, you’re not ready.
年轻人，你并没有做好准备。
In high school, you might think you understand what it takes to be a great basketball player, but you will truly have no idea. When you get to UConn, your coach will show you what hard work really is.
在高中的时候，你可能会觉得自己已经了解如何才能成为一名出色的篮球运动员，但事实上，你并不清楚。当你进入康涅狄克大学的时候，你的教练会展示给你看，什么才叫苦练。
His name is Jim Calhoun. Don’t get on this man’s shit list.
教练的名字是Jim Calhoun。千万别惹毛他。
When you walk into the gym for that first practice, get ready for hell on wheels. You’re going to be all excited to put on your Huskies gear and start shooting around. But then Coach Calhoun is going to flip the .
当你走进球馆准备为了第一次训练大展身手，套上康大队服开始投篮热身的时候，Calhoun教练会戳破这个美梦。
“Freshmen!” he’ll say. “You think you deserve to wear this uniform? You don’t deserve the privilege. Not yet.
“菜鸟！”他将会说，“你们以为自己配得上这身球衣吗？你还配不上这份荣耀。至少，目前还配不上。
Then the assistant coaches will start handing out these plain grey shorts and T-shirts to all the freshmen.
随后，助理教练会给新人发灰色的短裤和T恤。
“I want to see some sweat,” Coach will say.
教练则说：“我想要看到大家动起来，出点汗。”
Up until that very moment, you’ll think basketball is all about going out and putting up some jump shots and showing your skill.
在那一刻，你还以为篮球只是上场投进球，展现自己技巧的运动。
When you get put through Coach Calhoun’s first practice you’ll realize, Oh, this game is a sonofabitch.
但当你经历过Calhoun教练的第一堂训练课，你才开始意识到，这比赛真是*河蟹*。
You will be put through the hardest workout of your life. You’ll be gasping for air, hunched over. But the thing is, the gym in Storrs is air conditioned. Your body is used to playing in the sweatbox gyms in South Carolina, where there’s no air conditioning.
你将会经历有生以来最艰苦的训练，你将会弯着腰，大口喘气。但事实上，Storrs的训练场馆内的空调已经全数打开，要知道，过去你都是习惯在南卡罗莱纳没有空调的，像蒸汽笼子一样的训练场馆内训练的。
At the end of the practice, coach Calhoun is going to line everybody up and walk down the line, looking at every player.
在训练结束的时候，教练让所有人排成一排，一个个走出球馆，同时，他也会检视每一个人。
When he gets to you, he’ll look down at your shirt. There will be a single bead of sweat trickling down your Adam’s apple.
当轮到你的时候，他低头看了眼你的T恤。汗水正从你的喉结不停地流淌下来。
He’ll look at you. Then he’ll look at the little bead of sweat. Then he’ll look back at you.
他看了看你，然后看了看流淌下的汗滴，又看了看你。
“That’s it? I guess we didn’t work you hard enough, Allen.”
“就这样？好吧……看来我们对你的训练要求还不够高啊，阿伦。”
The next practice is going to be even tougher.
下一堂训练课将会更加艰难。
This man is going to damn near break you, but he’s going to make you a much better player and person. This will be your introduction to what it really takes to be great.
这人几乎会摧毁你，但他也会让你成为一个更好的球员，更好的人。这将会是成为一名伟大球员的开端。
A few days later, you’re going to have one of the most memorable moments of your life. You’re going to wake up at 5:30 a.m. and go to the weight room to get your workout in, and then you’ll come back to the dorm and shower before class.
几天之后，你将会经历人生中最难忘的时刻之一，你会在清晨5:30起床去力量房训练，然后回到宿舍洗一把澡准备去上课。
You’ll put on a shirt and tie, throw your backpack over your shoulder and walk across campus to your first class of the day.
你会穿上衬衫、系好领带、背上背包，穿过校园准备第一节课。
It’s early, so it’s still quiet. The leaves are crunching under your feet. You’re sore, but your clothes are on point. You got your work in. You’re prepared. You have a purpose.
一切都还早，四周还很安静。树叶在较低脚底吱吱作响，尽管你的肌肉感到酸痛，但你穿着非常正式得体，你已经做好了准备，你有备而来。
I don’t know what it is about this moment in particular, but as you’re walking, you’ll think, Wow. I’m a college student. No matter what happens at the end of this tunnel, I’m going to make my family proud.
同时，你心中默想“哇，我现在是大学生了。不管最终发生什么，我都要让家人感到骄傲。
When you get to your public-speaking class and sit down, this girl will turn to you and say, “Hey, why are you so dressed up?”
当你在公开演讲课坐下的时候，有一个姑娘转过身问你：“嘿，你干嘛穿的这么正式？”
You’ll say, “Because I can.”
你会说：“因为我可以这样穿。”
In that moment, it will feel like you have conquered the world.
那一刻，感觉就像是征服了整个世界。
I could end this letter right here, and you would still probably be excited about what you are going to accomplish in life. But you still have an 18-year NBA career ahead of you.
我能写到这里收尾，对于未来的生活你也会觉得非常期待、激动。但是，在你的面前，还有一个长达18年的NBA生涯。
How do I sum up nearly two decades in the NBA? What do you really need to know? What’s truly important?
我该如何总结这将近20年的NBA生涯呢？你需要知道些什么？什么才是真正重要的事情？
PHOTO BY GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
You’ll get to play against your heroes: Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler.
你将会和自己心目中的英雄对位：迈克尔-乔丹和克莱德-德雷克斯勒。
You’ll play alongside Hall of Famers: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade.
你将会和未来的名人堂成员一同征战：凯文-加内特、保罗-皮尔斯、勒布朗-詹姆斯和德维恩-韦德。
Sometimes you’ll be afraid.
有时候，你会感到害怕。
Sometimes you’ll think you’re out of your league.
有时候，你会觉得自己已经竭尽所能。
But you’ll keep showing up every day, putting in the work.
但无论如何，你每一天都会努力训练。
You’ll put up more than 26,000 shots in your career. Almost six out of 10 won’t even go in. I told you this game was a son of a bitch.
你会在自己的职业生涯里投出26000球，其中的6成将会打铁而出。我说过的，这比赛就是*河蟹*。
Don’t worry, though. A successful man is built of 1,000 failures. Or in your case, 14,000 misses.
但是，别慌。1000次失败早就一个成功的人。对你而言，应该是14000次打铁。
You’ll win a championship in Boston.
你将会在波士顿赢得总冠军。
You’ll win another in Miami.
你将会在迈阿密再次赢得总冠军。
The personalities on those two teams will be different, but both teams will have the same thing in common: habits.
这两支球队的特点完全不同，但这两支球队有一个共同点：习惯。
Boring old habits.
无聊乏味的老习惯。
I know you want me to let you in on some big secret to success in the NBA.
我知道你们想让我分享在NBA取得成功的秘密。
The secret is there is no secret.
这个秘密就是，没有秘密。
It’s just boring old habits.
就是重复那些无聊又乏味的老习惯。
In every locker room you’ll ever be in, everybody will say all the right things. Everybody says they’re willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to win a title. But this game isn’t a movie. It’s not about being the man in the fourth quarter. It’s not about talk. It’s getting in your work every single day, when nobody is watching.
在每支球队的更衣室里，你都会听到大家的花言巧语。每个人都会说他们愿意为胜利做任何牺牲，但这项运动不是电影，不是每个人都能成为末节的关键先生，更不是凭嘴上功夫。重要的是让自己每天埋头训练，而这些工作没有人看得到。
Listen: God doesn’t care whether you make your next jump shot.
记住了：上帝才不关心你能不能命中下一个跳投。
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade. The men who you are going to win championships with are all going to be very different people. What makes them champions is the boring old habits that nobody sees. They compete to see who can be the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.
凯文-加内特，保罗-皮尔斯，勒布朗-詹姆斯，德维恩-韦德，那些与你并肩夺冠的人都会是非同寻常的家伙，能给你带来冠军的只有那些枯燥又乏味的老习惯，而这些人每天都在比拼谁第一个到球馆，谁最后一个结束训练。
Your peers who think this is a cliché, or who think this doesn’t apply to them because they have God-given talent, will play their whole careers without winning an NBA title.
至于那些认为这都是陈词滥调，或者对自己的天赋自信到认为他们不适用这一套的人，他们整个职业生涯都会与NBA冠军无缘。
But I want you to understand something deeper. The championships are not the point.
但我还想告诉你们一些更深刻的道理，冠军并不是终极的目标。
Yes, there will be a sense of validation and vindication when you raise the trophy above your head, remembering everyone who ever said you wouldn’t amount to anything.
没错，当你把奥布莱恩杯举过头顶时，你会想起那些把你说得一无是处的人，你会感觉自己终于得到了证明和肯定。
Four-year bench warmer.
四年坐穿板凳。
Alcoholic.
酒鬼。
White boy.
白人男孩。
But if I’m being real with you, what you’ll realize after you win the first title is that the thrill is fleeting. The vindication is fleeting. If you only chase that high, you’re going to end up very depressed.
但我必须坦率地跟你讲，在你赢得第一个总冠军之后，你会意识到它带来的刺激是短暂的，你得到的满足感也是短暂的。如果的追求只有这些，那你的职业生涯会郁郁而终。
The championships are almost secondary to the feeling you’ll get from waking up every morning and putting in the work. The championships are like when you were sitting in class at UConn with your shirt and tie on. They’re just the culmination.
冠军几乎是你们早上醒来想的第一件事，你会为了它付诸努力。冠军就像是你衣衫整洁地坐在康大的教室里，他们都仅仅是你人生中的某个顶点。
Your winding path to those moments, just like your walk across campus on that quiet fall morning in Connecticut, is where you will find happiness.
你为了这个目标所体验的那么多经历，就像是秋日的早晨你走在康大的校园里，这个过程才是最幸福的。
I really mean it from the bottom of my heart: Life is about the journey, not the destination. And that journey will change you as a person.
其实我只是想发自内心地说，生活是一场旅途，没有终点，这场旅途会决定你成为一个怎样的人。
Let me tell you one final story that may help you understand what I mean.
我再讲最后一个故事，没准你就懂我的意思了。
It’s the early morning hours of June 21, 2013. You’re 38 years old, and just a few hours ago you won Game 7 of the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
那是2013年6月21日的一个清晨。38岁的我，在几个小时前刚刚通过抢七帮迈阿密热火赢得了总冠军。
You are an NBA champion for the second time.
我的第二个NBA总冠军。
You lay down in bed at about five in the morning, but you just can’t sleep.
已经五点了，我仍在在床上辗转难眠。
Finally, around seven o’clock, you give up on sleep and creep downstairs. All your friends and family have come over to your house to celebrate — they’re all passed out on couches, sound asleep. You tiptoe around them on the way to the kitchen to make some breakfast.
终于，在七点钟，放弃睡眠的我蹑手蹑脚地走下楼。所有前来欢庆的亲朋横七竖八地躺在沙发上，睡着了。我小心翼翼绕过他们，来到厨房做早餐。
Around 7:30, you get into your car and go for a drive.
7点半，我决定开车出去兜风。
You park your car in front of a white office building. They’re just opening up.
我停在一栋移动白色的办公楼前，这里的人刚刚开始上班。
When you walk in the door, the receptionist looks at you and says, “Ray? What … what are you doing here?”
我走进去，门卫惊讶地对我说：“雷？你……你在儿这干嘛呢？”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“我睡不着。”
“But … you just won the title.”
“你……不是刚夺了冠吗？”
“Yeah, I just wanted to get out of the house.”
“是，但我还是想出来走走。”
“But … it’s eight in the morning. And you just won the title.”
“但……一个新科总冠军，早上八点在这里溜达。”
“Well, I still got some work to be done on this tooth. Is he in?”
“好吧，我的牙不太舒服，他（牙医）在吗？”
Your dentist walks out of his office.
我的牙医走出了他的办公室。
“Ray? What are you … what?”
“雷？你在干……什么？”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“失眠。”
This is what success looks like for you. You’re the kind of guy who goes to the dentist the morning after winning an NBA title.
对我来说，这就是成功的模样。赢得总冠军后的早晨，去找牙医，这个人就是我。
I know, man.
是的，伙计。
I know.
就是这样。
But in order to achieve your dreams, you will become a different kind of person. You’ll become a bit obsessive about your routine. This will come at a heavy cost to some of your friends and family.
为了实现梦想，我必须变成另一个人。我开始痴迷于极其有规律的生活。但这对我的家人和朋友来说，却是个沉重的负担。
Most nights, you won’t go out. Your friends will ask why. You won’t drink alcohol, ever. People will look at you funny. When you get to the NBA, you won’t always play cards with the boys. Some people will assume you’re not being a good teammate. You’ll even have to put your family on the back-burner for your job.
绝大多数的的晚上，我是不会外出的。这让我的朋友们不解。我不可以喝酒，绝对不可以，大家会觉得我是个异类。加入NBA以后，我很少和队友们玩牌。有人觉得我不是个好队友。我只好把家庭当作奋斗的力量之源。
Most of the time, you will be alone.
绝大多数的时候，我很孤独。
That won’t make you the most popular person. Some people simply won’t understand. Is the cost worth it?
但这也不足以让我功成名就。人们不会知道，这是否值得。
Only you can answer that.
只有我知道。
Who am I supposed to be?
我应该成为一个什么样的人？
Tomorrow when you get off that school bus in South Carolina, you’ll have to choose.
明天，当我从南卡罗莱纳的那辆校车上走下后，我必须做出选择。
Every day for the rest of your life, you’ll have to choose.
每一天，我都要为我的余生做出选择。
Do you want to fit in, or do you want to embark on the lonely pursuit of greatness?
是融入芸芸众生？还是做一个孤独的成功者？
I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game. I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself.
这个故事，是我一个41岁退休老头的所思所想。此时此刻，我的内心已经完全平静。
The hell you experience when you get off that bus will be temporary. Basketball will take you far away from that school yard. You will become far more than just a basketball player. You’ll get to act in movies. You’ll travel the world. You will become a husband, and the father of five amazing children.
学校的经历是短暂的。篮球会让你与校园渐行渐远。你不仅会成为一名篮球运动员，还会演电影，周游世界。你会结婚，成为五个熊孩子的父亲。
Now, the most important question in your life isn’t, “Who am I supposed to be?” or even, “What do I have to do to win another championship?”
现在，最重要的问题已经不是，“我该成为一名什么样的人”或“该如何去再赢得一次总冠军”。
It’s, “Daddy, guess what happened in math class today?”
应该是，“老爸，你猜今天数学课上发生什么事啦？”
That’s the reward that awaits you at the end of your journey.
这才是我最后想得到的礼物。
Go to the court. Stay at the court.
既然上场，那就拼尽全力。
Get your work in, young fella.
去做出点成绩来吧，年轻人。
Most people will never really get to know the real you. But they’ll know your work.
大多数人都不会真的去了解你，但他们一定会看到你的成就。
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