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Ray Allen，其實你不孤獨，那種經歷和感覺。我們也懂。
數據分析師何嘗不是如此？
大多數時間，你會是孤獨的。
你還是需要努力，努力，努力的去「學習新的東西」，「拓展自己的眼界」，「在別人的質疑中提出自己的見解」，等等，等等。
刻苦努力，年輕人。大部分人都不會了解真實的你。但他們會了解你的努力。
Dear 13-year-old Ray,
When you get off the school bus tomorrow, you’re going to be in a whole new world. This is nothing new. Every time your father gets stationed at a new Air Force base, you have to say goodbye to your friends and start a new life. It’s the same routine once every three years or so. New school, new culture, new faces.
Northern California. Then Germany. Then Oklahoma. Then England. Then Southern California.
And now, Dalzell, South Carolina.
You’re used to being the kid that nobody knows. The majority of your existence has been about trying to find new friends, trying to show people that you’re a good person and that you mean no harm. You’re used to being an outsider.
You’ve gotten pretty good at it.
This time is different though. It’s the middle of the school year. Everybody already knows one another. You’re at a critical age, and kids are just.…
Kids are just mean.
You’ve grown up in a military household your whole life. Until now, your friends were all from military families. You walked around the neighborhood with your I.D. card hanging around your neck like a dog tag in case some unfamiliar MPs rolled by. You spent your formative elementary school years in Britain. So you don’t even realize it, but to some people, you speak very proper.
When you step off that school bus in South Carolina tomorrow and open your mouth, those kids are going to look at you like you’re an alien.
“You talk like a white boy,” they’ll say.
You’ll look around the school and see groups of kids all paired off, and you’ll feel like you don’t have a place.
You’ll think to yourself, I don’t understand. Who am I supposed to be?
I’m going to be 100% honest with you. I wish I could tell you that it will get easier, and that you’re going to blend in, and that it’s going to be alright. But you’re not going to fit in with the white kids, or the black kids … or the nerds … or even the jocks.
“You talk like a white boy,” they’ll say.
You’ll be the enemy to a lot of people simply because you’re not from around there.
This will be both the toughest and the best thing that will ever happen to you.
What I want you to do is this: Go to the basketball court. Stay at the basketball court. You can build your entire existence there.
The world is much bigger than Dalzell, South Carolina. If you stick to the plan, you’ll see. Remember that when when you’re lying in bed on Saturday and Sunday mornings and you hear the engine of your father’s old Trans-Van start up outside.
You know that sound. It’s not pretty.
All you’ll want to do is sleep, but grab your sneakers and run down the stairs because he will leave you. You have exactly two minutes before the heat kicks on in the van and he’s backing out of the driveway. He’s on military time, and if you don’t get to the Air Force base court by 0900 on the dot to put your name at the top of the sign-up sheet, you’re going to have to wait around all day to get a run in.
You’ll learn a lot on that court. As a 13-year-old kid playing against grown men, you’ll learn to play in transition out of necessity. You’ll play so fast that all the airmen will start calling you “Showtime” when you walk into the gym.
In between games, when you’re on the sidelines, I want you to listen very carefully to all the stories these guys tell.
You’re going to hear a lot of, “Man, I coulda …” on these courts.
Man, I wish I could go back in time.
I’d have gone D-I.
Booze got the best of me.
Man, I coulda.…
Man, I shoulda.…
I wish I could go back, young fella.…
Don’t ever put yourself in the position to wish you could hop in a time machine, Ray. You need to stay focused, because things will only become more complicated as you have more success on the court.
When you start getting attention from colleges, some of your own teammates will say things like, “UConn? You’ll sit on the bench for four years.”
Just because you don’t drink, they’ll say, “Man, you’re gonna be an alcoholic once you get to college. You won’t be ready. All they do is drink there.”
A lot of people don’t want to see you succeed. Don’t get into fistfights with these kids. Trust me, it will accomplish nothing.
Instead, remember exactly who said those things.
Remember how they said it.
Remember their faces.
Keep these voices inside your head and use them as fuel every single day when you wake up.
And the voices telling you you’re the man? Those are the voices to keep out. When you start getting some national attention in high school, you’ll hear things like, “Ray’s jumpshot is God-given.”
Listen: God doesn’t care whether you make your next jump shot.
God will give you a lot of things in life, but he’s not going to give you your jump shot. Only hard work will do that.
Don’t be so naive as to think you’re ready for college ball.
Young fella, you’re not ready.
In high school, you might think you understand what it takes to be a great basketball player, but you will truly have no idea. When you get to UConn, your coach will show you what hard work really is.
His name is Jim Calhoun. Don’t get on this man’s shit list.
When you walk into the gym for that first practice, get ready for hell on wheels. You’re going to be all excited to put on your Huskies gear and start shooting around. But then Coach Calhoun is going to flip the script.
“Freshmen!” he’ll say. “You think you deserve to wear this uniform? You don’t deserve the privilege. Not yet.”
Then the assistant coaches will start handing out these plain grey shorts and T-shirts to all the freshmen.
“I want to see some sweat,” Coach will say.
Up until that very moment, you’ll think basketball is all about going out and putting up some jump shots and showing your skill.
When you get put through Coach Calhoun’s first practice you’ll realize, Oh, this game is a sonofabitch.
You will be put through the hardest workout of your life. You’ll be gasping for air, hunched over. But the thing is, the gym in Storrs is air conditioned. Your body is used to playing in the sweatbox gyms in South Carolina, where there’s no air conditioning.
At the end of the practice, coach Calhoun is going to line everybody up and walk down the line, looking at every player.
When he gets to you, he’ll look down at your shirt. There will be a single bead of sweat trickling down your Adam’s apple.
He’ll look at you. Then he’ll look at the little bead of sweat. Then he’ll look back at you.
“That’s it? I guess we didn’t work you hard enough, Allen.”
The next practice is going to be even tougher.
This man is going to damn near break you, but he’s going to make you a much better player and person. This will be your introduction to what it really takes to be great.
A few days later, you’re going to have one of the most memorable moments of your life. You’re going to wake up at 5:30 a.m. and go to the weight room to get your workout in, and then you’ll come back to the dorm and shower before class.
You’ll put on a shirt and tie, throw your backpack over your shoulder and walk across campus to your first class of the day.
It’s early, so it’s still quiet. The leaves are crunching under your feet. You’re sore, but your clothes are on point. You got your work in. You’re prepared. You have a purpose.
I don’t know what it is about this moment in particular, but as you’re walking, you’ll think, Wow. I’m a college student. No matter what happens at the end of this tunnel, I’m going to make my family proud.
When you get to your public-speaking class and sit down, this girl will turn to you and say, “Hey, why are you so dressed up?”
You’ll say, “Because I can.”
In that moment, it will feel like you have conquered the world.
I could end this letter right here, and you would still probably be excited about what you are going to accomplish in life. But you still have an 18-year NBA career ahead of you.
How do I sum up nearly two decades in the NBA? What do you really need to know? What’s truly important?
You’ll get to play against your heroes: Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler.
You’ll play alongside Hall of Famers: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade.
Sometimes you’ll be afraid.
Sometimes you’ll think you’re out of your league.
But you’ll keep showing up every day, putting in the work.
You’ll put up more than 26,000 shots in your career. Almost six out of 10 won’t even go in. I told you this game was a sonofabitch.
Don’t worry, though. A successful man is built of 1,000 failures. Or in your case, 14,000 misses.
You’ll win a championship in Boston.
You’ll win another in Miami.
The personalities on those two teams will be different, but both teams will have the same thing in common: habits.
Boring old habits.
I know you want me to let you in on some big secret to success in the NBA.
The secret is there is no secret.
It’s just boring old habits.
In every locker room you’ll ever be in, everybody will say all the right things. Everybody says they’re willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to win a title. But this game isn’t a movie. It’s not about being the man in the fourth quarter. It’s not about talk. It’s getting in your work every single day, when nobody is watching.
Listen: God doesn’t care whether you make your next jump shot.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade. The men who you are going to win championships with are all going to be very different people. What makes them champions is the boring old habits that nobody sees. They compete to see who can be the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.
Your peers who think this is a cliché, or who think this doesn’t apply to them because they have God-given talent, will play their whole careers without winning an NBA title.
But I want you to understand something deeper. The championships are not the point.
Yes, there will be a sense of validation and vindication when you raise the trophy above your head, remembering everyone who ever said you wouldn’t amount to anything.
Four-year benchwarmer.
Alcoholic.
White boy.
But if I’m being real with you, what you’ll realize after you win the first title is that the thrill is fleeting. The vindication is fleeting. If you only chase that high, you’re going to end up very depressed.
The championships are almost secondary to the feeling you’ll get from waking up every morning and putting in the work. The championships are like when you were sitting in class at UConn with your shirt and tie on. They’re just the culmination.
Your winding path to those moments, just like your walk across campus on that quiet fall morning in Connecticut, is where you will find happiness.
I really mean it from the bottom of my heart: Life is about the journey, not the destination. And that journey will change you as a person.
Let me tell you one final story that may help you understand what I mean.
It’s the early morning hours of June 21, 2013. You’re 38 years old, and just a few hours ago you won Game 7 of the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.
You are an NBA champion for the second time.
You lay down in bed at about five in the morning, but you just can’t sleep. Finally, around seven o’clock, you give up on sleep and creep downstairs. All your friends and family have come over to your house to celebrate — they’re all passed out on couches, sound asleep. You tiptoe around them on the way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. The sun is coming up, the house is quiet. You have achieved exactly what you set out to do. But you’re still restless.
So why do you feel this way? Isn’t this what you worked so hard for?
Around 7:30, you get into your car and go for a drive.
You park your car in front of a white office building. They’re just opening up.
When you walk in the door, the receptionist looks at you and says, “Ray? What … what are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“But … you just won the title.”
“Yeah, I just wanted to get out of the house.”
“But … it’s eight in the morning. And you just won the title.”
“Well, I still got some work to be done on this tooth. Is he in?”
Your dentist walks out of his office.
“Ray? What are you … what?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
This is what success looks like for you. You’re the kind of guy who goes to the dentist the morning after winning an NBA title.
I know, man.
I know.
But in order to achieve your dreams, you will become a different kind of person. You’ll become a bit obsessive about your routine. This will come at a heavy cost to some of your friends and family.
Most nights, you won’t go out. Your friends will ask why. You won’t drink alcohol, ever. People will look at you funny. When you get to the NBA, you won’t always play cards with the boys. Some people will assume you’re not being a good teammate. You’ll even have to put your family on the back-burner for your job.
Most of the time, you will be alone.
That won’t make you the most popular person. Some people simply won’t understand. Is the cost worth it?
Only you can answer that.
Who am I supposed to be?
Tomorrow when you get off that school bus in South Carolina, you’ll have to choose.
Every day for the rest of your life, you’ll have to choose.
Do you want to fit in, or do you want to embark on the lonely pursuit of greatness?
I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game. I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself.
The hell you experience when you get off that bus will be temporary. Basketball will take you far away from that school yard. You will become far more than just a basketball player. You’ll get to act in movies. You’ll travel the world. You will become a husband, and the father of five amazing children.
Now, the most important question in your life isn’t, “Who am I supposed to be?” or even, “What do I have to do to win another championship?”
It’s, “Daddy, guess what happened in math class today?”
That’s the reward that awaits you at the end of your journey.
Go to the court. Stay at the court.
Get your work in, young fella.
Most people will never really get to know the real you. But they’ll know your work.
北京時間11月1日，雷-阿倫在球星看臺上發表長文，宣布自己將退役，以下是該文翻譯：
親愛的13歲的雷，
當你明天走下校車，你就將進入一個全新的世界。這不稀奇。每次你的父親被定崗到一個新的空軍基地，你就得和你的朋友們告別，開始一段新生活。大概每三年就會經歷一次。新學校、新文化、新面孔。
先是北加利福尼亞。然后是德國。然后是奧克拉荷馬。再是英格蘭。再是南加利福尼亞。
而現在，是加州的達爾澤爾。
你已經習慣了做一個不為人熟知的孩子。你主要的生活方式就是去尋找你的新朋友，試著向人們展示你是個好人，你沒有惡意。你已經習慣了做一個外鄉人。
你做得還不錯。
這次有些不一樣。這次是在學期的半途中。每個人都已經認識了彼此。你正處在敏感的年紀，孩子們比較...
孩子們比較刻薄...
你一直以軍事化的教育成長。直到現在，你的朋友全是來自軍人家庭。你把你的身份證掛著脖子上，就像個狗牌，就是為了可能會遇上一些不熟悉的憲兵檢查身份。你的小學在英國度過，所以你可能沒有意識到，你的語言非常得體。
當年明天走下南加州的校車并且開口說話，你的伙伴們會把你看作是個外星人。
“你說話像個白人。”他們會這樣說。
你看著周圍的孩子們都成雙成對，你覺得自己沒有地方可待。
你會想：“我不理解，我應該是誰？”
我將對你百分百誠實。我多希望我能告訴你，事情會變得容易，你會慢慢地融入當地，所有事都會沒問題。
但你不會和白人小孩或者黑人小孩或者傻孩子或者同學們相處地太融洽。
你會被相當一部分人視作敵對，僅僅因為你是外鄉人。
這會是在你身上發生的最糟糕也是最棒的經歷。
我想要你做的是這個：去到球場上。待在球場上。你能在那里打造你的生活方式。
世界比達爾澤爾大很多，如果你堅持你的計劃，你會看到的。請在聽到你父親的老式貨車發動之后的周末清晨記得這些。
你了解那個聲音的，聽起來可不好受。
你想做的就是繼續睡覺，但是請抓起你的籃球鞋跑下樓去，因為他馬上要走了。你有兩分鐘上他的車。要是你沒能跟著他在九點之前將你的名字寫在空軍基地的登記簿上，你就得一天都守在大門口等著機會溜進去。
你會在球場上學到很多。作為一個13歲的孩子和大人們較量，你會不得不學到不停的移動。你會打得如此的快速，以致于空軍們看見你走進球館就會沖你喊：“Showtime！”
在休息的時候，站在場邊，我希望你能認真聽他們說的故事。
你會聽到很多句“兄弟，我本可以...”
“兄弟，我多希望能回到過去。
我本可以當上教官。
然而酗酒害了我。
兄弟，我本可以...
我本可以...
我多希望能回到過去，年輕人...”
永遠不要把你置于一個希望回到過去的位置上，雷。你要保持專注，因為隨著你在球場上越來越成功，事情就只會變得越來越復雜。
當你在大學里得到越來越多的關注時，你的一些隊友會嘲諷你說：“康涅狄格大學？你會在那兒坐四年的板凳！”
就因為你不喝酒，他們也會說：“兄弟，你上了大學一定會成一個酒鬼的。你這樣不準備好，上了大學可是全是喝酒。”
很多人不想看到你成功。不要理會這些年輕人。相信我，和他們糾纏什么也成就不了。
相反的，請記住他們說的話。
記住他們是怎么說的這些話。
記住他們的樣子。
將這些聲音存在腦海里，將它們用作你每天起床的動力。
但那些夸贊你的聲音呢？請把他們忘記。當你在高中時開始獲得全國性關注的時候，會有人說你的跳投是“上帝賜予的”。
聽著：上帝才不在乎你的跳投進還是不進。
上帝會給你很長的生命，但他才不會給你跳投的能力，那只有不斷地努力訓練才能做到。
不要想得如此幼稚，認為你已經為大學籃球做好了準備。
年輕人，你并沒有準備好。
在高中，你也許會認為你已經明白該怎樣成為一名偉大的籃球運動員，但你其實什么都不知道。當你到了康涅狄格，你的教練會讓你明白什么才是刻苦。
他的名字是吉米-卡洪。你可以不要上了這家伙的黑名單。
當你第一次走進訓練館之時，做好下地獄的準備。你會興奮地穿上康涅狄格的哈士奇球服，開始展示你的跳投，但是教練卡洪會打斷你的計劃。
“菜鳥們！”他會說：“你們認為你們配得上身上的球衣嗎？你們配不上這份榮耀。至少目前配不上。”
然后助理教練就會給新人們分發這些灰色的T恤和短褲。
“我想看到些汗水！”教練說。
直到那之前，你都認為籃球不過是上場，展現你的跳投和技巧。
當你結束第一次在卡洪教練手下的訓練時，你會想：籃球真是王八蛋。
你會經歷你人生最艱難的訓練。你會彎腰駝背地渴望呼吸。但事實是，在Storrs校區的那所球館是有空調系統的。你的身體已經習慣了在南加州的炎熱球館，那兒可沒有空調這玩意兒。
在訓練的結束，教練卡洪會讓所有人站成一排，走一遍，看著每一個球員。
他會看著你，他會看著你細小的汗珠，又會看回你。
“就這樣？嗯？嗯...我猜你是練得不夠啊，阿倫。”
而下一次訓練會更加的艱難。
這個家伙會接近將你摧毀，但也是他，會讓你成為一個更好的球員和更好的人。他會是你了解如何成為偉大的啟蒙導師。
幾天之后，你將會經歷你人生中最難忘的一刻。你將在早上5點半醒來，去到健身房訓練，然后你回到宿舍洗澡，趕著去上課。
你會穿上襯衫、打上領帶，把你的背包甩在肩上穿過校園去上你的第一堂課。
那天還如此早，校園里還很安靜。樹葉在你腳下窸窣作響。你的身體很酸痛，但你的衣服是整齊的。你有好好的訓練，你有備而來，你有自己的目標。
我不知道這一瞬間具體意味著什么，但你走著的時候，你會想：“哇，我是個大學生了，不論這段路程的終結是怎樣的，我一定會讓我的家人感到自豪。”
當你到達了公共演講課上坐下之后，這個女孩會轉過來問你：“嘿，你為什么穿得這么正式啊？”
你會說：“因為我可以。”
在那一瞬間，你會覺得你征服了全世界。
我可以只寫到這里，你仍會對你生命中將要達成什么而感到興奮。但前方還有18年的NBA生涯等著你。
我該如何總結在NBA里的這18年？你真正需要知道的是什么？什么才是真正重要的？
你會和你心目中的英雄們面對面：邁克爾-喬丹和克萊德-德雷克斯勒。
你會和一些名人堂級別的球員并肩作戰：凱文-加內特、保羅-皮爾斯、勒布朗-詹姆斯和德維恩-韋德。
有時候，你會害怕。
有時候，你會覺得自己已經置身于聯盟之外。
但你還是會在每一場比賽中亮相，投入比賽。
你在職業生涯中會出手26000多次的投籃，而且其中60%的投籃不會命中，我跟你說過，籃球就是“王八蛋”。
即使如此，你也不要擔心。一個成功的男人是經歷過1000次失敗的洗禮的。換句話講，你會投失14000個投籃。
你會在波士頓贏得一個總冠軍。
你會在邁阿密贏得另外一個。
這兩支球隊的個性是截然不同的，但是兩支球隊都會有一些共同點：各種各樣的習慣。
枯燥且傳統的習慣。
我知道，你想讓我告訴你一些能在NBA取得成功的重要的秘訣。
這個秘訣就是——沒有秘訣。
就是枯燥且傳統的習慣而已。
在你進入過的每一個更衣室中，每個人會講出所有正確的東西。每個人都會講，他們愿意為贏得總冠軍而犧牲一切。但是比賽不是電影，不是你在四節的比賽中成為什么樣的人物，不是談論的話題。而是在沒有人矚目的時候，每天所投入的訓練。
聽著：上帝才不在乎你的跳投進還是不進。
凱文-加內特、保羅-皮爾斯、勒布朗-詹姆斯、德維恩-韋德。這些和你并肩贏得總冠軍的人物都是不同凡響的。讓他們贏得總冠軍的東西正是別人所看不到的枯燥且傳統的習慣。他們會相互競爭：看誰會第一個抵達體育館、誰會最后一個離開。
那些凡是認為這很是陳詞濫調的、或者這不適用于他們的人是因為他們擁有上帝賜予的天賦，但這會使得他們整個職業生涯都沒能贏得總冠軍。
但是我想讓你理解得更深刻一些，總冠軍不是重點。
是的，當你把總冠軍獎杯高高舉在頭頂上時，你會記得所有曾經說過你不會有出息的人，這是一種說服和證明。
4年的板凳球員。
酒鬼。
白人男孩。
但是，我得坦誠地告訴你，你會在贏得第一個總冠軍之后意識到，刺激和證明都是暫時的。如果你不滿足于此，那你將會以莫大的失望收尾。
總冠軍只會是你每天早上醒來所感受到和投入努力去得到的次要的東西。總冠軍就像，你穿著襯衫、打好領結坐在康涅狄格大學的課堂上一樣，總冠軍只是一個終點。
這些曲折的道路，就像你在秋日安靜的早晨漫步在康大的校園中，那是你尋找到快樂的地方。
我真的發自內心深處地告訴你：生活就像一程旅行，在乎的不是終點。而這程旅行，則會改變你這個人。
讓我來告訴你最后一個故事，來幫助你真正理解我所說的。
那是在2013年6月21日清晨早些時候，那時候的你38歲，就在幾個小時前，你和邁阿密熱火隊贏下了NBA總決賽的第七場。
你是兩屆總冠軍得主了。
凌晨5點多的時候，你躺在床上難以入眠。最終，在7點多的時候，你走出被窩，悄悄下樓。你所有的朋友和家人都來到了你的房子來祝賀——他們都躺在沙發上，聽起來都睡著了，所以你踮著腳去廚房做早餐。太陽漸漸升起，屋子內靜悄悄地一片。你已經完成了你想做的，但你還是坐立不安。
所以，你為什么會有這樣的感覺呢？這難道不是你萬分努力以求的東西嗎？
大概在7點半的時候，你坐進車內，出去兜風。
你把車停在了一棟白色辦公建筑前，它們似乎開著門。
當你走進門時，接待人員看著你說到，“雷？你...你在這兒干什么？”
“我睡不著。”
“但是...你剛贏下總冠軍啊。”
“是的，我只想離開房子。”
“但是...現在是早上8點，而且你剛贏得總冠軍。”
“好吧，我仍然想收拾一下我的牙齒，他在嗎？”
你的牙醫出去了，不在辦公室。
“雷？你...你在...?”
“我睡不著。”
對你來說，這就是成功的樣子。你就是那種在奪得總冠軍后的清晨去看牙醫的人。
我知道，伙計。
我知道。
但是為了實現你的夢想，你會成為一個不同的人。你會對自己的日常生活有些許迷戀。對于你的朋友和家人來說，這會成為巨大的負擔。
大多數的夜晚，你不會出去。你的朋友會問你為什么。你永遠不會去喝酒，人們會別樣地看待你。當你進入NBA的時候，你不會經常和隊友們去打牌，人們會覺得你不會成為一個好隊友。為了工作，你甚至不得不把家人擱置在一邊。
大多數時間，你會是孤獨的。
這不會讓你成為最受歡迎的人。有些人會想：“這么樣值得嗎？”
只有你能回答。
“我該是個什么人？”
明天當你踏下南加州的校車，你將要選擇。
你生命中接下來的每一天，你也要選擇。
你是想要顯得合群，還是選擇擁抱孤獨并且追逐偉大？
我作為一個41歲的退役球員寫這封信給你。我作為一個完全和自我平靜相處的人寫這封信給你。
你走下校車之后經歷的困難都只是暫時的。籃球會帶你遠離校園。你不會只是一名籃球運動員。你會參演電影。你會環游世界。你會成為丈夫，會成為五個美好孩子的父親。
如今，你生命中最重要的問題不是“我該成為什么樣的人”或者“我該做什么去獲得另一個總冠軍？”
你面臨的最重要的問題是：“爸爸，你猜今天在數學課上發生了什么？”
這就是你旅途盡頭的獎賞。
去到球場。待在球場。
刻苦努力，年輕人。
大部分人都不會了解真實的你。但他們會了解你的努力。
