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Dear Basketball,
亲爱的篮球

From the moment I started rolling my dad’s tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots in the Great Western Forum, I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you.
从小时候我穿着老爸的直筒袜假装着在大西部论坛球馆投中制胜球的样子时，我就清楚知道一件事情：我爱上你了。

A love so deep I gave you my all —from my mind and body, to my spirit and soul. As a six-year-old boy deeply in love with you, I never saw the end of the tunnel.
我爱你如此之深，已奉献我的所有从我的思想到我的身体,从我的精神到我的灵魂.六岁的我深深的爱着你,我从没想过这段旅程结束时的样子。

I only saw myself running out of one, and so I ran. I ran up and down every court, after every loose ball for you. You asked for my hustle, I gave you my heart, because it came with so much more.
我只看到我自己在这条路上奔跑，所以我不停的跑。每场比赛我都不停奔跑，为争取每一次得到你的机会。你需要我拼尽全力，我为你奉上了我的心，因为这需要的不仅仅是尽力。

I played through the sweat and hurt，not because challenge called me, but because YOU called me. I did everything for YOU! Because that’s what you do when someone makes you feel as alive as you’ve made me feel. You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream and I’ll always love you for it.
我为打球流尽血汗、带着一身伤病，不是因为困难在挑战我，而是因为你在呼唤我。我已经为你做了一切，
因为你也是这样对待我，因为你让我感觉自己是一个鲜活的人。你让一个6岁的孩子实现了他的湖人梦，
为此我将永远爱你。

But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye. And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.
但是我不能再如此迷恋你了，这个赛季是我所能给的仅有的。我的心还能继续承受各种打击，我的意志也还能继续坚持下去，但我的身体让我知道是时候说再见了。这也很好，我已经做好准备跟你说再见了。

I want you to know now, so we both can savor every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have. And we both know, no matter what I do next, I’ll always be that kid with the rolled up socks.
我现在都告诉你，所以我俩都能永远珍藏着彼此一起度过的每一段时光。无论是好的，还是坏的，我们已经给了彼此，能给的全部。我俩都知道，接下来无论我去做什么，我还会是那个，穿着老爸的直筒袜小男孩。

Garbage can in the corner，05 seconds on the clock. Ball in my hands, 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1.
瞄准角落里的垃圾桶，假装进攻时间还有5秒，而球就在我手中，5秒，4秒，3秒，2秒，1秒。


Love you always,
一直爱你的，

Kobe
科比

tube socks
shooting imaginary game-winning shots
I knew one thing was real
the end of the tunnel
up and down
court
hustle
sweat and hurt
challenge
when someone makes you feel as alive as you’ve made me feel
obsessively
pounding
grind
rolled up socks
garbage can
corner