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. ”
练习题：
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.
译文：
谁是下一个姚明?
拉斯韦加斯的灯光如此眩目, 这位来自中国的巨人根本没有注意到周围的老外们悄悄打量他的目光。此时, 他正凝眸远眺美国城市的一片奢华景象。他惊讶于灯光通明的埃菲尔铁塔复制品, 高楼鳞次栉比的曼哈顿空中轮廓线, 以及令人眼花缭乱的罗马式喷泉。一个脸色红润的美国游客打断了他的遐思; 他大喊道:“ 嗨! 姚明! 你是姚明! ”这是他最讨厌听到的了。他微微一笑, 用他学到的简单英语尽量礼貌地回答:“ 不, 我不是姚明。”
不是姚明, 谁知道呢。易建联最好习惯别人对他寄予的厚望。从上海加盟作为火箭队新秀的姚明让全美职业篮球赛如此轰动之后, 大洋两岸的人就期盼着这个身高2 .11 米的天才少年将会成为第二个姚明。一大群经理人和球探还有运动鞋的品牌代表都把他看成是能够跟随姚明——— 这个联赛最受人注目人物——— 巨大而利润丰厚脚步的人。易建联现在 的鞋子的尺码和姚明的一样大。他表现出的巨大潜力——— 他的大力灌篮, 稚嫩的长相,还有他有些神秘的年龄, 都使得他比姚明站在这个起点时更具优势。
在全美职业篮球赛打球的中国人, 现在除了姚明之外还有两个, 一个是身高2 .11 米壮硕的巴特尔, 效力于多伦多猛龙队的后发中锋; 一个是2.16 米身手敏捷的神投手王治郅,效力于洛杉矶快船队。另外还有一个年方20 岁的身材消瘦的中锋薛玉洋。他在今年夏天第二轮选秀中被小牛队选中, 但是由于没有经过国家体育总局的同意就参加选秀赛, 他无法在这个赛季加盟全美职业篮球赛。全美职业篮球赛的球探们于是打起了那些更年轻的球员的主意, 比如19 岁的唐正东, 还有14 岁身高1 .86 米的篮球神童陈加华, 他扣篮的样子有点像中国的动作影星李连杰。
然而, 他们都无法与易建联相比, 这位新锐的天才被更多的行家看好。1999 年易建联在中国南方新兴城市深圳的学校操场被发现。他刚小学毕业时已经长到1.93 米, 而在中国, 南方人的身材通常都比较矮小, 因此就被身边的人称为巨人。他后来加盟中国篮球联合会的广东队, 当时的身高已经达到惊人的2 .11 米, 摸高达到3 .51 米, 而篮圈只有3.05 米高。当易建联掌握了新技术——— 中距离跳投、小勾手和转身扣篮后, 吸引了世界著名运动产品公司阿迪达斯的注意。为了同中国篮球的主要赞助商耐克公司展开竞争, 2002 年阿迪达斯公司邀请易建联前往新泽西参加在那里举行的ABCD 篮球训练营, 他也是训练营中唯一一名来自中国的球员。来自广东的青年教练张真明说:“ 这次经历使易建联大开眼界, 回来后易建联第一次明确了自己要到全美职业篮球赛打球的目标。”
