超人歸來 霍華德的救贖之旅

Dwight Howard has been on a downward trajectory for most of the past decade.

德懷特·霍華德在過去十年的大部分時間裏都在走下坡路。

He wasn't just a perennial All-Star, at his peak, Howard was considered the league's premier big man.

過去他不僅僅是一個常年的全明星，在他的巔峯時期，霍華德被認爲是聯盟的頭號大個子。

Much is made of his three Defensive Player of the Year awards but Howard's signature accomplishment remains the Magic's trip to the 2009 NBA Finals,

儘管三獲年度最佳防守球員的榮譽完全值得被大肆吹捧，但霍華德的標誌性成就仍然是率領魔術隊在2009年的季後賽中連克

beating the Celtics and LeBron's Cavaliers along the way.

擊敗凱爾特人隊和擁有詹姆斯的騎士隊，歷史性的闖進總決賽。

As recently as last summer, Howard was a laughingstock who, if not for the Lakers, would probably have been out of the league.

就在去年夏天，霍華德還是一個笑柄，如果不是湖人，他可能早就被聯盟淘汰了。

Not only did his plodding, post-oriented style make him a dinosaur.

霍華德不再敏捷的身手、和過時的風格讓他難以適應現代籃球的節奏。

He was also deservedly seen as a locker room cancer, a black hole of undeserved ego who either didn't understand or just didn't care that his behavior affected others.

他也被理所當然地視爲更衣室裏的毒瘤，一個自我意識膨脹的黑洞，他不理解也根本不在乎他的行爲會影響到別人。

Nearing the end of the 2019 NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers took a risk signing Dwight Howard to a non-guaranteed contract.

在2019年NBA休賽期即將結束之際，洛杉磯湖人隊以一個無保障合同冒險簽下了霍華德。

Howard has been a canny veteran for the Lakers as JaVale McGee's backup center and an energy guy whose enthusiasm is infectious.

作爲賈維爾·麥基的替補中鋒，霍華德是湖人精明的老將，他的熱情是有感染力的。

The most important factor in all of this is that Howard has been really good this season.

其中最重要的因素是霍華德這個賽季出色的表現。

He and McGee combined have created one of the league's most powerful big men, averaging 14.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game as a tandem.

他和麥基一起爲湖人隊提供了全聯盟最好的內線保障。他們場均能拿下14.6分，13.1個籃板，1.0次搶斷，3.2次蓋帽。

Those numbers are better than that of Rudy Gobert.

這些數據都比魯迪·戈伯特的要好。

Beyond the success Howard has had, what's undeniable is the fact that he has been one of the most fun players on this team all season.

除了霍華德的成功之外，不可否認的是他整個賽季都是球隊中最有趣的球員之一。

It's clear he's enjoying the game far more than he has in recent seasons.

很明顯，他比最近幾個賽季更享受比賽。

"I think a lot of times in the past it wasn't accepted for guys to have fun like this on the court.

“我想在過去很多時候，男人們像我這樣在球場上純粹地享受樂趣是不被接受的。

But I think what it's showing is just pure joy," Howard said. "For me, this is like my sanctuary.

但我認爲它所展示的只是純粹的快樂，”霍華德說。“對我來說，這就像我的避難所。

For artists, they want to show how thankful they are, they make music.

對於藝術家來說，他們要是想要表達他們是多麼的感性，他們就寫下樂曲。

For a basketball player, it's on the court."

而對於籃球運動員來說，快樂就該在球場上。”

Howard has clearly found his love for the sport again and playing good basketball on a championship contender definitely means he likely won't lose that joy.

很明顯，霍華德又找回了對這項運動的熱愛，在一支有實力競爭總冠軍的隊伍中打好籃球意味着他不會失去這份快樂。

After over a decade, Howard is reportedly participating in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest.

據報道，十多年後，霍華德將參加2020年NBA扣籃大賽。

Of course, most fans'minds instantly flew to the 2008 event, in which Howard threw on a Superman cape and jammed it home from the free throw line.

當然，大多數球迷的腦海裏立刻浮現出2008年的那場比賽，霍華德披上超人披風，將球從罰球線上灌進籃框。

Whether he's actually able to do anything interesting at the Dunk Contest next month,

不管下個月的扣籃大賽上他能不能做點什麼有趣的事，

Dwight Howard participating at all certainly makes the event more inherently interesting than it would have been otherwise.

德懷特·霍華德參加扣籃大賽肯定會讓這件事變得更有趣。

We know that it's impossible for Howard to get back to where he once was. But it feels pretty good to have him back.

我們知道霍華德不可能回到他曾經的高度，但他能從迷失中找回自我也是一件足夠好的事。

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