As the other notable Los Angeles Lakers rookie started to run off the Capital One Arena floor about two hours before tipoff, fans of all ages began yelling, "Kyle!" and "Kooz-Ma!" to get his attention. Kyle Kuzma immediately stopped, came back and gladly signed every autograph and picture with his new fans, who probably had no clue who he was six months ago.
当洛杉矶湖人队的另一位人气新秀凯尔-库兹马在赛前两小时准备离开第一资本球馆(华盛顿奇才队主场)的场地时,各个年龄层的粉丝们高喊他的名字以得到他的注意。凯尔-库兹马立刻停下,回到球迷身边,亲切地与他们签名合影。六个月前,这些球迷们也许还不知道他是谁。
"I am handling the attention pretty well," Kuzma said before a game against the host Washington Wizards last week. "I've never been one to live up to the hype. I've never had it before ever in my life. I'm just doing what got me here. Be humble. Stay hungry."
“我正很好地把握着自己所受到的关注,”,库兹马在上周对阵华盛顿奇才队的比赛前讲到,“我向来不是个会受到大肆宣传的人物,我此前从未经历过这些。我只是一直做着让我能有今天这般成就的事,保持谦逊,保持渴望。”
Whereas Lonzo Ballis known for his passing, vision and ability to handle the enormous expectations on him as the No. 2 overall pick, Kuzma has exceeded any expectations the Lakers or anyone had for him as a rookie.
尽管郎佐-鲍尔作为榜眼秀,因其出色的传球技艺和球场大局观倍受人们的期望和关注,但是同样作为一名新秀,库兹马已经远远超越了湖人队或其他任何人对他的期望。
What has been the biggest change in your life of late?
你近来生活最大的改变是什么?
Everywhere I go now, people notice you. That's the biggest thing. Prior to this, I could walk around and no one knew me.
不管我去哪,人们都会注意到我,这是最大的变化。在此之前,我可以到处溜达,没人认识我。
Nothing has really happened. It's just average type of fame. Everywhere I go, people want a picture or to talk to you. That's the biggest thing to adjust to because I never really had that before.
没什么特别的事发生,都是一些因为有了些许名气而发生的平常事。无论我去哪,大家都想和我合影或者和我聊聊天。这是我最需要去适应的,因为这些事以前从未在我身上发上过。
Did you ever get treated differently because you are a mixed-race kid?
你有因为自己是混血儿而受到不一样的对待吗?
I got, 'Are you white?' 'Are you black?' I was a mixed kid in a black area. You are raised black and all your friends are black, but you're white so you can't necessarily do certain things.
是的,有过。人们常常会问:“你是白种人吗?”或“你是黑种人吗?”我是一位出生在黑人区的混血儿。你成长在黑人的环境里,你的所有朋友都是黑种人,但你却有着白肤色,这就限制了你不能去做某些特定的事。
What was the determining factor in you entering the draft after your junior year at Utah?
你在犹他大学读完大三后决定参加选秀,决定因素是什么?
It was really during the season. I averaged 16 points and nine rebounds last year. I played a lot of guys that were highly rated, and I played well against those guys. I was thinking, 'If these guys are on the draft board, why can't I be?' I took a leap of faith.
上赛季我场均获得16分9个篮板,跟很多选秀排行很高的球员交手过,我打得不错。我想:“如果他们能被选上,为什么我不能呢?”我决定去大胆尝试。
Why did a lot of NBA teams miss on you?
为什么很多NBA球队没有选你呢?
Man, I don't know. I don't know. There was a lot of hype with a lot of guys. I was at Utah for three years. I played behind a lot of NBA draft picks, and I don't know why they missed on me. Scouting departments aren't that tight, I guess. I don't know. Who knows? A lot of folks are biting themselves now though.
我不知道,我一点也不知道。有很多家伙拥有很高的人气,受到大肆的宣传。我在犹他大学打了三年,跟很多NBA新秀都交过手,我不明白为什么很多球队不选我。我猜也许是球探系统不那么科学严谨吧。我不明白具体原因,谁又会知道呢?不过很多人现在后悔了·。
What were your draft expectations?
你对自己的选秀预期是?
My expectations were first round. I knew that all along. My agent had talked to teams at the beginning of the pre-draft camp. A lot of teams were saying potential second round. But I said, 'No way, I'm going in the first round.' I felt it. I wasn't told that, but I felt it. I was like, 'I am going to show these guys, and we will see where the chips land.'
我的预期是首轮。我一直都这么认为。我的经纪人在训练营刚开始时和很多球队接洽过。很多球队都说我很可能跌到第二轮。不过我还是坚定地认为自己是个首轮秀。没人告诉我,一切都是我自己认为的。我将展现给他们看,看看自己会在哪个顺位被选中。
Why are you succeeding in the NBA so fast?
为什么你很快就在NBA取得成功?
My hard work. My work ethic. My confidence. The way I approach this. I try not to act like a rookie. I try to be like a 10-year vet in how I approach things and my mentality toward this game. I want to be special. I feel like that is how I get there.
我的努力,我的职业道德和我的自信。我取得成功的方式就在于,我尽力表现得不要像个新秀,而像是一个打了10年的老将,无论是在方式上,还是在对待比赛的心态方面。我想要与众不同。我想这就是我成功的原因。
How would you describe your relationship with Ball? Are you surprised how well he deals with the pressure and attention he receives?
你会如何描述自己与鲍尔的关系?你有惊讶于他处理压力和关注度的能力吗?
Great relationship. We started getting to know each other in summer league, and now we are really close, not just on the court but off the court as well. And yes, he's really steady in his demeanor, and I think that's why he deals with it so well.
我们是铁哥们。我们是在夏季联赛认识的,现在不管是在场上还是场下,我们都非常亲近。是的,他一直宠辱不惊,我想这就是他把这些事处理得那么好的原因。
"Anything is possible," Kuzma said. "If you believe in yourself and you work as hard as possible, anything can happen. I was a 5-8 point guard my freshman year in high school, and no one talked about me. Now, a lot of people in the NBA have taken notice."
“一切皆有可能,”库兹马说,“如果你相信自己,持之以恒,什么事都可能发生。我在高中的第一年,仅仅是个身高5尺8寸的控球后卫,没人会谈及我。然而现在,很多在NBA的人们都已经注意到我了。”
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