The Next Yao Ming?
The Chinese giant was so dazzled by the lights of Las Vegas that he didn't notice the furtive glances of the tourists gathering around him. Now he was gazing out over the gaudiest stretch of urban landscape in America. He marveled at the brightly illuminated replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Manhattan skyline, the dazzling fountains of Rome . A red-faced American tourist broke the reverie .「Hey, Yao Ming! 」the man shouted.「Yao Ming, you da man! 」It was the last thing the Chinese athlete wanted to hear. He gave a tight smile and then, as politely as he could, he recited one of the few English phrases he has committed to memory:「I am not Yao Ming. 」
Maybe not. But Yi Jianlian had better get used to the lofty expectations. A lot of people on both sides of the Pacific are hoping that the talented 6 ft-11 ins teenager will be the next Yao Ming. Ever since Yao electrified the National Basketball Association last season as a rookie fresh out of Shanghai, a slew of agents, scouts1 and shoe-company reps have been looking for a Chinese player who can follow the large — and lucrative — footsteps of one of the league's biggest draws. Yi wears size-18 shoes, just like Yao. But it is the glimmer of his vast potential — the explosive slam dunks, the boyish good looks, even the mystery surrounding his age — that has catapulted Yi beyond where Yao stood at this point in his career.
Aside from Yao, two other Chinese hoopsters2 already play in the NBA: Mengke Bateer, a muscle-bound 6 ft-11 ins reserve center3 with the Toronto Raptors, and Wang Zhizhi, a lithe, 7 ft-2ins sharpshooter with the Los Angeles Clippers. Another player, a rail-thin center named Xue Yuyang, 20, was chosen in the second round in June's NBA draft, but Beijing — rankled by his decision to enter the draft without official permission — has refused to let him test his mettle in America. So instead NBA scouts and agents are focusing on the crop of younger players, ranging from Tang Zhengdong, 19, to prodigy Chen Jianghua, 14, a 6 ft-1in ball handler whose dunks look like something out of a Jet Li movie.
Nobody, though, seems a safer bet than Yi Jianlian. Yi was discovered in 1999 on a playground in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen. Barely out of grade school, he was already 6 ft-4 ins tall, a behemoth in a region known for its diminutive people. By the time he joined Guangdong's professional Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA) team last year, he was an astonishing 6ft-11 ins — and he could leap and touch a spot more than 11 ft-6 ins off the ground. ( The basketball rim is 10 feet high. ) As Yi mastered new skills — the midrange jumper, the baby hook, the reverse slam — he attracted the attention of Adidas. Eager to loosen Nike's hold on Chinese basketball, the shoe company flew Yi to New Jersey for its ABCD Camp in the summer of 2002 . He was the only Chinese player there. 「 It was an eye-opening experience for him, 」says Guangdong junior coach Zhang Zhenming.「 He came back with a very clear vision of where he wanted to go: the NBA. 」
練習題：
Ⅰ. True or False :
1. Yao Ming is the only Chinese basketball player in NBA.
2. The biggest sponsor for Chinese Basketball is Adidas.
3. Eiffel Tower is located in USA.
4. Toronto Clippers is the name of a basketball team.
5. Jet Li is a famous American basketball player.
Ⅱ. Question:
Why did Adidas invite Yi Jianlian to ABCD Camp?
答案：
Ⅰ. 1. F 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. F
Ⅱ. Because it is eager to loosen Nike's hold on Chinese basketball.
譯文：
誰是下一個姚明?
拉斯韋加斯的燈光如此眩目, 這位來自中國的巨人根本沒有注意到周圍的老外們悄悄打量他的目光。此時, 他正凝眸遠眺美國城市的一片奢華景象。他驚訝於燈光通明的艾菲爾鐵塔複製品, 高樓鱗次櫛比的曼哈頓空中輪廓線, 以及令人眼花繚亂的羅馬式噴泉。一個臉色紅潤的美國遊客打斷了他的遐思; 他大喊道:「 嗨! 姚明! 你是姚明! 」這是他最討厭聽到的了。他微微一笑, 用他學到的簡單英語儘量禮貌地回答:「 不, 我不是姚明。」
不是姚明, 誰知道呢。易建聯最好習慣別人對他寄予的厚望。從上海加盟作為火箭隊新秀的姚明讓全美職業籃球賽如此轟動之後, 大洋兩岸的人就期盼著這個身高2 .11 米的天才少年將會成為第二個姚明。一大群經理人和球探還有運動鞋的品牌代表都把他看成是能夠跟隨姚明——— 這個聯賽最受人注目人物——— 巨大而利潤豐厚腳步的人。易建聯現在 的鞋子的尺碼和姚明的一樣大。他表現出的巨大潛力——— 他的大力灌籃, 稚嫩的長相,還有他有些神秘的年齡, 都使得他比姚明站在這個起點時更具優勢。
在全美職業籃球賽打球的中國人, 現在除了姚明之外還有兩個, 一個是身高2 .11 米壯碩的巴特爾, 效力於多倫多猛龍隊的後發中鋒; 一個是2.16 米身手敏捷的神投手王治郅,效力於洛杉磯快船隊。另外還有一個年方20 歲的身材消瘦的中鋒薛玉洋。他在今年夏天第二輪選秀中被小牛隊選中, 但是由於沒有經過國家體育總局的同意就參加選秀賽, 他無法在這個賽季加盟全美職業籃球賽。全美職業籃球賽的球探們於是打起了那些更年輕的球員的主意, 比如19 歲的唐正東, 還有14 歲身高1 .86 米的籃球神童陳加華, 他扣籃的樣子有點像中國的動作影星李連杰。
然而, 他們都無法與易建聯相比, 這位新銳的天才被更多的行家看好。1999 年易建聯在中國南方新興城市深圳的學校操場被發現。他剛小學畢業時已經長到1.93 米, 而在中國, 南方人的身材通常都比較矮小, 因此就被身邊的人稱為巨人。他後來加盟中國籃球聯合會的廣東隊, 當時的身高已經達到驚人的2 .11 米, 摸高達到3 .51 米, 而籃圈只有3.05 米高。當易建聯掌握了新技術——— 中距離跳投、小勾手和轉身扣籃後, 吸引了世界著名運動產品公司阿迪達斯的注意。為了同中國籃球的主要贊助商耐克公司展開競爭, 2002 年阿迪達斯公司邀請易建聯前往新澤西參加在那裡舉行的ABCD 籃球訓練營, 他也是訓練營中唯一一名來自中國的球員。來自廣東的青年教練張真明說:「 這次經歷使易建聯大開眼界, 回來後易建聯第一次明確了自己要到全美職業籃球賽打球的目標。」