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International Players to Watch in the NBA

时间:2015-11-09 14:15:37

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International Players to Watch in the NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is arguably the best basketball league in the world. Some of the most famous teams are the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.

There was a time when almost all the players were American.

But in the 1980s, that began to change. The sport grew popular around the world. Basketball scouts1 - the people who look for talented, new players – discovered prospects2 in other countries.

The NBA began taking players from outside the United States seriously in the 1980s. Some were discovered in Europe and Africa and then attended a university in the U.S. Once they proved themselves against other Americans, the players became good candidates for the NBA.

Hakeem Olajuwon, from Nigeria, was one of the players. He played for the University of Houston and then the Houston Rockets. He is considered one of the best players in NBA history.

In the 1990s, Toni Kukoc of Croatia went to the NBA after playing professional basketball in Europe. He won three NBA titles playing with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

One of the best teams in the last 20 years is the San Antonio Spurs. The team won multiple championships with several players born outside the U.S. Manu Ginobli from Argentina and Tony Parker from France each have four NBA titles playing together on the Spurs.

As the new NBA season “tips off” this week, VOA Learning English looks at some of the league’s most interesting international players and their outlook for the upcoming season.

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks3

German teeanger Dirk Nowitzki arrived in 1998. He played for a small German club team before coming to the NBA. Nowitzki turned into one of the best players in NBA history. He won a championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. He was also the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2007.

Nowitzki is now 37 and may only have one or two seasons left before he retires. He’s already played for 17 years.

Rob Mahoney is a writer for Sports Illustrated4 based in Dallas, Texas. He knows the Mavericks so well, he wrote a book about their championship in 2011.

He thinks Nowitzki can still be a good player in the NBA despite his age.

“It’s ultimately going to be up to him in terms of how long he decides to ride out his career. He’s still a very productive player, still very good in the NBA even on those terms. Still very good in the NBA, even on those terms. But every year is going to get a little bit harder.”

Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls

After Nowitzki, the international player with the best record might be Pau Gasol. He won three NBA championships playing for the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant. He is now the center for the Chicago Bulls.

Gasol is one of the most consistent players in the league. He led the NBA last year with 54 “double-doubles.” A “double-double” is when a player has at least 10 points and at least 10 rebounds5 in the same game.

The Bulls are a strong team, but Mahoney says much of their success will depend on Gasol.

"Whether that team ultimately goes as far as it hopes to in a lot of ways depends on how healthy they are, because they have a lot of talent and that begins with Pau for sure."

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks6

One of the most interesting players in the NBA is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. His parents are from Nigeria, but he was born in Greece. Antetokounmpo is over two meters tall but he is fast for men of his height.

Highlights from the last two NBA seasons show him running, dribbling7 and flying through the air like a much smaller player.

Mahoney says Antetokounmpo should have an outstanding career in the NBA but he still needs to improve his game. As a 20-year-old, he has time.

"He’s an interesting player just because he’s already been good but you can certainly see that potential in him to be one of the great international players to come to the NBA. To be an All-Star-type talent. To be a guy a team would conceivably build around. And that’s certainly what the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping for, that he turns out to be that kind of player."

Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks

Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia stands well over two meters tall. He is known for blocking shots. It means he can stop the ball in the air and prevent opponents from scoring points.

His game is considered “raw” by most scouts. That means he still has a lot of room for improvement.

Last June, Porzingis was the third pick in the NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He is also only 20 years old. Mahoney and other observers are curious to see how he will adjust to both the NBA and living in New York.

"How all that stuff plays into how he performs on the court is definitely something that a lot of people in the NBA are watching this year. Because he has so many physical tools to perform in the NBA. A lot of people project him to be something similar to Dirk Nowitzki in terms of a 7-footer who can shoot really well, who can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. Who can really leverage8 his skill set in interesting ways."

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz

Mahoney says one player to watch this year is Rudy Gobert. He is a French player in his early 20s. Until this season he was a secondary player on the Utah Jazz. This year, the team expects him to be an important member.

"This is going to be his first season of high exposure, of attention from opposing coaches and players who now know who he is and know what he’s capable of. I’m interested to see if he can block as many shots. If he can have as much of an impact now that he’s a little bit more of a known quantity."

It’s difficult to find an NBA team without at least one or two key players born outside of the U.S. Thanks to so many trailblazers, the league is more international than ever.

Words in This Story

league – n. a group of sports teams that play against each other

prospects– n. a group of sports teams that play against each other

consistent– adj. of the same quality

rebound– n. basketball : the act of catching9 the ball after a shot has missed going in the basket

highlight– n. something (such as an event or a detail) that is very interesting, exciting, or important : the best part of something

dribble– v. to move a ball or puck forward by tapping, bouncing, or kicking it

potential– n. a quality that something has that can be developed to make it better

leverage – n. influence or power used to achieve a desired result

opponent– n. a person, team, group, etc., that is competing against another in a contest

trailblazer– n. a person who makes, does, or discovers something new and makes it acceptable or popular

scout– n. a person whose job is to search for talented performers, athletes, etc.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 scouts e6d47327278af4317aaf05d42afdbe25     
侦察员[机,舰]( scout的名词复数 ); 童子军; 搜索; 童子军成员
参考例句:
  • to join the Scouts 参加童子军
  • The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组,然后开始巡逻这个地区。
2 prospects fkVzpY     
n.希望,前途(恒为复数)
参考例句:
  • There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
  • They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
3 mavericks 3ac87f645e7e17c0410306b33eb282f6     
未烙印的牲畜( maverick的名词复数 ); 标新立异的人,不合常规的人
参考例句:
  • And what about the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki? 那达拉斯小牛队和诺维斯基呢?
  • And we see it with bringing Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks. 而且我们看到它同实现基德向达拉斯小牛队。
4 illustrated 2a891807ad5907f0499171bb879a36aa     
adj. 有插图的,列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
  • The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。
5 rebounds 87b0c2d1da6e752183ab26d425c5acd4     
反弹球( rebound的名词复数 ); 回弹球; 抢断篮板球; 复兴
参考例句:
  • V is the velocity after the gas particle rebounds from the wall. V是粒子从壁上弹开后的速度。
  • In the former case, the first body rebounds with practically its original velocity. 在前一种情况下,第一个物体实际上以原来的速度弹回。
6 bucks a391832ce78ebbcfc3ed483cc6d17634     
n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 );钱;(英国十九世纪初的)花花公子;(用于某些表达方式)责任v.(马等)猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 );抵制;猛然震荡;马等尥起后蹄跳跃
参考例句:
  • They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
  • They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 dribbling dribbling     
n.(燃料或油从系统内)漏泄v.流口水( dribble的现在分词 );(使液体)滴下或作细流;运球,带球
参考例句:
  • Basic skills include swimming, dribbling, passing, marking, tackling, throwing, catching and shooting. 个人基本技术包括游泳、带球、传球、盯人、抢截、抛球、接球和射门。 来自互联网
  • Carol: [Laurie starts dribbling again] Now do that for ten minutes. 卡罗:(萝莉开始再度运球)现在那样做十分钟。 来自互联网
8 leverage 03gyC     
n.力量,影响;杠杆作用,杠杆的力量
参考例句:
  • We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
  • He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力,他的计划失败了。
9 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

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