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Thank you. First of all, I'd like to give thanks to God for this opportunity.
谢谢。首先，我要感谢上帝给了我这个机会。
I think I was introduced, so you can see that my career really is a dream career.
我想大家对我已经很了解了，所以你们可以发现，我的职业生涯可以说是梦幻的。
Growing up in Nigeria, then I didn't really know anything about basketball.
我在尼日利亚长大，那时的我对篮球一无所知。
I was just growing up, just like any kids growing up in Nigeria, playing sports.
就像所有在尼日利亚长大的孩子一样，我也从事各种体育运动。
Sports in Nigeria is very big, which is soccer, number one sport for all the kids growing up.
体育运动在尼日利亚非常重要，其中足球就是所有孩子成长过程中的第一运动。
But all these sports that I played, I did not realize that these are giving me fundamentals.
当时我没有意识到，所有我参与过的那些体育运动，都培养了我的基础素质。
The table tennis, which gives me the iron and high coordination. Playing soccer in Nigeria.
比如说乒乓球，培养了我坚强的品质和超棒的协调性。再比如我还在尼日利亚踢过足球。
And I'd like to thank the coach, his name is called Daniero.
我要感谢一位教练，他的名字叫达尼罗。
He was the first coach that was pushing me to play basketball.
他是第一个鼓励我打篮球的教练。
He was going out of his way every time just to encourage me to play basketball.
他每次都不遗余力地鼓励我打篮球。
And I was playing other sports except basketball.
我当时除了篮球，其他体育运动都会参加。
But the first time I gave it a chance to play basketball.
我还记得第一次尝试打篮球的情景。
It was an unbelievable day for me, because he gave me a job description, gave me the concept, the big picture of my position in basketball.
对我来说，那是难以置信的一天，因为达尼罗教练教会了我关于篮球场上的职责，教会了我关于篮球的概念，以及我的位置的大概情况。
"If you do play basketball, let me tell you, let me show you what you can do as a position."
“如果你要打篮球的话，就由我来告诉你，你这个位置能做些什么。”
So he gave me the description of the role of a center in basketball.
所以他向我描述了篮球运动中中锋的角色。
And this was amazing because he was a state coach.
这真是个奇妙的事情，因为他当时可是一位州级教练员。
During practicing, he gave the assignment to his assistant coaches to go to the other side of the court.
在练习时，他给他的助理教练们布置了任务，让他们去球场的另一边。
And he called a point guard and himself, and gave me this attention that "let me give you the job description, the role of a center."
然后他会叫来一个控球后卫，和他自己一道，对我特别关注：“我来告诉你中锋这个角色在场上的职责。”
So all the team, it is a league state team, they were practicing on the other side of the court.
然后整支球队，那可是一支打洲际联赛的队伍，他们只能在球场的另一边训练。
And I was amazed, I was humble, just to see that that's the kind of attention that he brought to me.
看到他对我如此的关注，我当时感到既惊讶，又很忐忑。
Immediately, I realized the importance of my position in basketball as a center,
很快我就意识到在篮球比赛中中锋位置的重要性，
that the center position impact the game in so many ways.
这个位置在很多方面都会影响着比赛。
So he gave me this concept of this big picture,
所以他给我介绍了一下大概的情况，
telling me, "I've seen you play soccer. But let me tell you how you can help us win some games."
并对我说：“我见过你踢足球。但是我会告诉你，接下来你怎样做才能帮助我们赢下一些比赛。”
Because they were going for a tournament.
因为当时他们正在备战一项锦标赛。
He told me, "I know that you didn't know the rules,
他对我说：“我知道你并不了解规则，
but you can just stand in the middle of the paint and just block everything that comes in,"
但是你只需要站在油漆区里面，把所有冲进来的都扇出去就行了。”
And that was his advice for me.
这就是他给我的指导。
"Then, also, if they miss any shoots, just try to grab everything that come out, you know, just grab everything rebound."
“还有就是，如果别人没有把球投进，那你就要尽力去把反弹出来的球抓住。”
It gave me this concept of the of the paint.
这就让我形成了油漆区的概念。
"This paint, this is your area, you should rule it."
“油漆区就是你的地盘儿，你要统治这里。”
So I was imagining this kind of domination of what the center can do in basketball.
因此我就意识到了中锋在篮球场上的统治地位。
Then after a couple of hours that he called the rest of the team that we have to play together.
几个小时后，他把其他队员叫过来，让我们一起打球。
So I was following his instruction, try to block everything. So I was goaltending.
于是我就按照他的指示，去封盖所有的投篮，然后我就干扰球了。
Then Daniero tell me again that when the ball is coming down, let it go.
达尼罗随后又给我讲了一下，当篮球的轨迹下降时，就不要再碰它了。
So this was my first introduction to basketball.
这就是我与篮球的第一次接触。
