I remember when， as a kid， I got my first real basketball
還記得，當我還是個孩子的時候，我得到第一個真正的籃球
I loved the feel of it in my hands。 I was so enamored with the ball that
我喜歡它在手中的感覺，對它一見傾心。
I didn‘t actually want to bounce it or use it
我甚至捨不得拍它或用它
because I didn’t want to ruin the pebbled leather grains or
因為不願破壞那些鵝卵石般的皮革顆粒
the perfect grooves。
還有那些完美的凹槽
I didn‘t want to ruin the feel。
我不想毀了那種奇妙的感覺。
I loved the sound of it， too。 The tap， tap， tap of when a ball bounces on the
hardwood
我也喜歡它發出的聲響，那種在硬木地板上反彈發出的“砰、砰、砰”。
The crispness and clarity。 The predictability。 The sound of life and light。
清脆，清晰，易於預測。那是生命之聲，光芒之聲。
Those are some of the elements that I loved about the ball， about the game。這正是我熱愛籃球、熱愛比賽的一部分原因，
They were at the core and root of my process and craft。
也是我籃球之道的核心與根基。
They were the reasons I went through all that I went through。
因為它們，我才能經受住我所經受的一切。
put in all that I put in dug as deep as I dug。
傾注我所能傾注的所有，探索我所能探索的全部。
It all came back to that special tap， tap， tap that I first grew infatuated with as
a boy。
一切都源於孩童時期，第一次聽到那讓我心醉神迷的“砰，砰，砰”。