Big men—and the way we think of them—have changed a lot since the sport was invented in 1891. It wasn’t until the 1950s when 6’10” George Mikan2 proved that size is a huge advantage in basketball. Later, Bill Russell3, Wilt Chamberlain4, and Shaq O’Neal5 followed in Mikan’s oversized6 footsteps, overpowering7 opponents8 on both ends. These days, guys like Dwight Howard9 are continuing the tradition of the powerful big man.
Big men have a softer side, too. There’s Kareem Adbul-Jabbar’s10 sky hook, Hakeem Olajuwon’s11 fadeaway12, Tim Duncan’s13 midrange bank shots14, and Dirk Nowitzki’s15 three-pointers. The moves are different, but still effective.
Chamberlain once claimed that big men don’t get respect. “Nobody roots for16 Goliath17,” he said. Well, it’s time the giants get their due18.
“I was one of those kids who were always big. I was taller than my teacher in the fourth grade. In the sixth grade I was 6’4”. Every class picture growing up, it was like a pyramid. It was all of the kids and then me in the middle.
“Nowadays, if I’m on a commercial airplane, using the bathroom is an obstacle19. Every time I get in the bathroom, the stewardess will always go, ‘How’d you do that?’ But I’ve got it down to a science20. I’ve got to go in sideways21, bend all the way over sideways, and then twist around as I get in.”
“I remember one flight on one of those really small planes. I went to use the bathroom and I was like22, Oh, man23, there’s no sideways getting into this. I tried to back into it, and my head and the rest of my body was still outside of the bathroom. So they had to stop the plane from taking off. I got off, ran into the terminal24, used the bathroom, and ran back on the plane. Then I was just basically hoping I didn’t have to use the bathroom again.”
“Every day I meet somebody who asks, ‘How’s the air up there?’ Or just dumb jokes that they think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard them. Or they ask, ‘You play basketball?’ or ‘How tall are you?’ It’s like nonstop, all day. I’ve heard everything in the book25, and it’s not really amusing to me. I always just joke, or make light of26 it, because God has blessed me with height, and it just kind of27 comes with the territory28. When I saw [7’6”] Yao Ming for the first time, I was like, Oh, man. Since I was amazed by him, [I understand] why the average person is going to be amazed by seeing me.”
“The traditional big man is no more. We’re like dinosaurs. I really don’t believe that players nowadays want to play with their backs to the basket. You’ve got more guys growing up watching the tapes, wanting to dribble29 between their legs and bring the ball up the courts. You have more centers who want to do that, and not get down in the paint30 and get dirty31 and rebound32. Mind you, it’s great to have that type of versatility33. But the players who play with their backs to the basket are the ones who’ve been more successful in terms of winning rings34. Like Duncan. Yeah, he can face up and shoot that jump shot, and it’s a great dimension35 to his game. But when it comes down to it in the fourth quarter, he’s posting up36 and taking the ball with his back to the basket.”
Etan Thomas37 of the Washington Wizards has written a book of poetry called More than An Athlete. The following is an excerpt from one of the 6’10” center’s poems about what it would be like to live in a world where people accepted each other’s differences.
I wouldn’t be teased if I was different
I’d be embraced38 and my spirits would be lifted
Still seen as gifted even though I was talented in my own way
Everybody didn’t have to be the same
All of my teachers would actually care about me
Instead of giving up on me so easily
They wouldn’t be so quick to suspend39 me
But dig deep into my soul and revive my ability
They wouldn’t cast me away40 as if I had leprosy41
I wouldn’t be perceived as a threat no matter what my size
Or see the contempt in their heart and the fear in their eyes
They would actually see me
☆Of the past 50 NBA champs, 41 had a center or power forward make the All-Star team during their title season.
☆Of the NBA’s 52 regular season MVP award winners, 39 were 6’9” or taller.
☆Six of the top seven career scoring leaders in NBA history are 6’9” or taller. The only one who isn’t: Michael Jordan (6’6”).
☆Seven of the eight players to win more than one NBA Finals MVP award were 6’9” or taller. The only one who wasn’t? You guessed it: M.J.
自从1891年篮球运动发明以来，大个子以及我们对待他们的态度发生了很大的变化。直到20世纪50年代，身高2米08的乔治·迈肯证明了身高在篮球运动中是个巨大的优势。之后，比尔·拉塞尔、威尔特·张伯伦、沙奎尔·奥尼尔紧跟其后，在攻守两端压制住对手。今天，像德怀特·霍华德这样的球员在延续着大个子威力无比的传统。
大个子也有细腻的一面，贾巴尔的天钩、奥拉朱旺的后仰跳投、邓肯的中距离擦板球还有诺维茨基的三分球。球路不一样，但都一样有效。
张伯伦曾经称大个子得不到尊重。“没有人为巨人摇旗呐喊，”他说。现在是巨人们得到他们应该得到的东西的时候了。
“我从小个子总是比别人高，四年级时我比老师高。六年级时我长到1米93，我在班级照片里一张比一张高，像个金字塔一样，我站在中间，周围全是矮个子。
“现在，如果我乘坐商务飞机，上厕所是个大问题。每次我上厕所，空姐总会问：‘你是怎么做到的？’但是我找到了一个诀窍，我侧着身走，一直弯着腰，扭着身子进去。”
“我记得有一次乘坐一架非常小的飞机，我去上厕所，一看，心想：哇，糟了，侧着身子也不行。我试着退着进去，但我的头和身体的其他部位还在洗手间外面。所以我只得请求飞机停止起飞，我下了飞机，跑进候机楼，上了厕所，然后再回到飞机上。我真的希望以后再也不用上那个卫生间了。”
“每天都有人问我：‘上边的空气如何？’有时候他们对我开些他们自认为我从没有听过的玩笑，有时候会问：‘你打篮球吗？’‘你有多高？’这样的问题，成天都有，没有间断。什么样的话我都听说过，我并不真的觉得好笑。我只是一笑了之，或者不放在心上，因为上帝赐给我身高，这多少是难免碰到的事情。但我第一次看到姚明（2.26米）的时候，我心想：哇，天哪。因为我对他十分惊讶，所以我理解为什么普通人看到我总是很惊奇。”
“传统的大个子再也不存在了，我们就像消亡了的恐龙。我真的相信现在的球员不会想站在篮框底下，背对着篮框攻篮。越来越多的篮球新人成长起来，他们观看篮球录像，想学会胯下运球、带球上篮。现在越来越多的中锋都想这么打球，他们不愿意杀到三秒区，左冲右突，抢篮板。请注意，技术全面当然很棒，那些在篮底下背着篮框进攻的球员才更有希望赢得总冠军戒指。不错，像邓肯，他可以面对篮框，跳投得分，这是他打比赛得分的重要手段。但是到了第四节关键的时候，他总是背对篮框单吃对方攻篮。”
华盛顿奇才队的伊坦·托马斯写了一本诗集《不仅仅是运动员》。下面摘录这位身高6英尺10英寸中锋的一首诗的一部分，它表达了生活在一个人们接受彼此差别的世界里的感受。
我不会被取笑，如果我与众不同
我会被人接受，我的心灵得到升华
依然被认为是有才华的，尽管我的才干独具一格
没有必要人人都一个样
我所有的老师给了我实实在在的关爱
而不是轻易放弃我
他们不会仓促让我停学
而是深入到我的灵魂深处，复活我的能力
他们不会像对待麻风病人一样抛弃我
我不会被看作是一种威胁，尽管我个子大
在他们的心中我看不到蔑视，在他们的眼里我看不到恐惧
他们的眼中有实实在在的我
☆ 在过去50支获得总冠军的球队中，有41位中锋或者大前锋入选季后赛、全明星赛。
☆ 在NBA常规赛的52位最有价值球员中，39位身高在2米05以上。
☆ NBA历史上得分最高的7位球员中6个身高在2米05或更高，惟一的例外是迈克尔·乔丹，他身高是1米98。
☆ 在获得NBA总决赛最有价值球员的8名球员中，7个身高在2米05或更高。惟一例外是谁？你猜对了：迈克尔·乔丹。
1. fella 同 fellow
2. 乔治·迈肯，身高2.08米。6次获NBA总冠军，3次成为NBA最佳射手，2次成为NBA篮板王，是NBA历史上第一位真正的“超级巨星”。
3. 比尔·拉塞尔，身高2.06米。他是NBA的神奇盖帽专家。
4. 威尔特·张伯伦，身高2.16米。在他传奇式的职业生涯中，获得过2次NBA总冠军，7次成为NBA得分王，11次成为NBA篮板王。
5. 沙奎尔·奥尼尔，身高2.16米，现效力于菲尼克斯太阳队。
6. oversized adj. 巨大的
7. overpower v. 制服、压倒
8. opponent n. 对手
9. 德怀特·霍华德，身高2.11米。大前锋，现效力于奥兰多魔术队。
10. 卡里姆·阿卜杜尔·贾巴尔，身高2.18米。其“天钩”雅号闻名全球。
11. 哈基姆·奥拉朱旺，身高2.13米。中锋，曾效力于休斯敦火箭队。
12. fadeaway n. 后仰跳投
13. 蒂姆·邓肯，身高2.13米。大前锋，现效力于圣安东尼奥马刺队。
14. bank shot 擦板球
15. 德克·诺维茨基，身高2.13米。现效力于达拉斯小牛队。
16. root for sb. 为…鼓气，全力支持
17. Goliath 葛利亚，圣经中被大卫杀死的巨人。
18. due n. 应得的东西
19. obstacle n. 障碍
20. science n. 技巧
21. sideways adv. 侧着身子
22. “and I was like” 或者 “And so I was like”，美国口语，意思是 And so I said.
23. man 啊，呀，用作表示强烈感情的感叹词。
24. terminal n. （火车、公共汽车等的）终点站，总站
25. I have heard everything in the book. 惯用表达法，什么样的话我都听说过。
26. make light of 轻视；忽略
27. kind of 有些，有点
28. come with the territory 是难免碰到的事情
29. dribble v. 运球
30. paint [peint] n. 三秒区
31. dirty adj. 狂风暴雨的；粗暴的
32. rebound v. 抢篮板
33. versatility n. 多才多艺，多样性
34. win rings 获得总冠军戒指
35. dimension n. 因素
36. post up 持球球员背对篮框单吃对方
37. 伊坦·托马斯，华盛顿奇才队中锋，身高2.08米。
38. embrace v. 欣然接受
39. suspend v. 暂令某人停学
40. cast away 抛弃
41. leprosy n. 麻风病