Basketball Hero—Michael Jordan
蓝球之神——迈克尔·乔丹
There have been many great players of the game， some whose names are heard all around the world， others who are talked about every blue moon， but one name that will be heard wherever you go is Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is a worldwide name； sometimes referred to as M.J. or Air Jordan， but no matter how you hear it everyone knows who is being talked about. That's right， the greatest player to put his hands on the ball. Jordan has fans all over the world， and not only is he known for his action on the court， but he is also known for the things that he does off the court. Now let's see why everyone wants to be like Mike.
Michael Jordan has been a great athlete since junior high school. He was interested in many sports especially baseball and basketball. Jordan pitched on the baseball team， played quarter back on the football team and was guard on the basketball team. Although he was involved in all of these things， he was very unpopular. Mike was teased for the way he looked， his haircut， and the way he stuck his tongue out when he played basketball. Despite all of this criticism Mike had to endure， he came out on top. It wasn't all because of him， but because he had a father behind him helping him to fulfill his dreams. When Michael's father saw that he was interested in basketball， he constructed a court in the backyard for him to practice on， and from then on Mike has been playing the game and playing it well. He went on to play at North Carolina， in his freshman year， and in his junior year he was drafted by the Bull's， where he led them to many championships. Late in Mike's game years his father was murdered， he had a hard time with his game， but as you can see， nothing can stop him. And still， everybody wants to be like Mike.
Michael Jordan is someone who will never have to sit back and wonder what they have accomplished in life. Jordan as we know has set records that have yet to be broken and he has accomplished things that were thought to be impossible to accomplish. For example， on May 6， 1998， M.J. became the first player in history to be selected to the NBA ALL-Defensive First Team nine times. Jordan has also earned nine individual scoring titles， four Most Valuable Player awards， and he averaged 30 points per game which is the highest in NBA history. These are some of his accomplishments on the court. I often wonder what it would feel like to make history by just doing something that I enjoy. Obviously， Jordan doesn't have to wonder， he already knows. “At the presumed end of his career， he has created his own line of cologne and clothing， presuming shrewdly that， while no one can be like Mike exactly， the chance to smell and dress like him will be—in a world given over to computer generated simulations—virtually enough.”
As you can see， Michael Jordan is someone who is worth recognition. He is someone who I look up to when it comes to the game. Jordan has accomplished a lot， and it wasn't all fun and games， it took a lot of hard work， practice and efforts to be one of the greatest basketball players of all times. Now do you see why everyone wants to be like Mike？ Everyone wants the fame， the fortune and the just plain simply the life that Michael Jordan lives. Jordan is an example that whatever you dream to become， it is possible to become just that. And whatever your goal is， you can reach it， with hard work， effort， and commitment.
世界上有许多一流的体育健将，他们有人可谓大名鼎鼎，有人却几乎早已被人淡忘。但无论你置身何处，总会听到一个名字，那就是迈克尔·乔丹。他享誉全球，有时人们简称他为M.J.或是干脆叫他“飞人乔丹”。无论你听到人们如何称呼他，大家都知道在谈论谁。没错！他是篮球界最伟大的球员，他的球迷遍布世界。乔丹是场上的飞人，场外也为人称道。现在我们就看看为何人人都想成为迈克尔。
上初中时开始，迈克尔·乔丹就是个运动好手。他对许多体育项目都感兴趣，对棒球和篮球更是情有独钟。乔丹加入了棒球队，是橄榄球队中的四分位，还在篮球场上打后卫。然而，即便他参加了这些社团，却一直不怎么受欢迎。因为人们总是嘲笑他的长相、发型以及他打球时吐舌头的表情。尽管乔丹不得不承受这些批评，但他最终还是爬到了顶峰。而这番成功不仅是乔丹个人努力的成果，还要归功于一直在背后默默支持他，帮他实现梦想的父亲。父亲发现小乔丹对打篮球兴趣浓厚，就在自家后院里建了一个小球场，让乔丹平时练球。从那时起，乔丹就开始打球，并且越打越好！上大学一年级的时候，乔丹就加入了北卡罗来那州立大学篮球队，大三时直接入选公牛队，并带领球队赢得多个NBA总冠军。后来，乔丹的父亲遭人谋杀，那段日子乔丹陷入低谷，无法全身心投入比赛。但事实证明，没有任何事情能阻止他。人们也依然梦想着能像乔丹一样。
迈克尔·乔丹绝不是那种会停下来回头看着自己成绩沾沾自喜的人。他改写了历史，完成了常人认为不可能完成的神奇表现。1998年5月6日，乔丹九次入选全联盟防守第一阵容，成为NBA历史上绝无仅有的第一人！他曾9次摘得“联盟得分王”的桂冠，4次荣获NBA “最有价值球员”称号，他平均每场比赛坎下30分，创下了NBA历史最高纪录。这些成就仅仅是他在球场上出色表现中的一小部分。我经常会突发奇想，如果我也能通过做一些自己喜欢的事来闯出一番天地，那种感觉该会多惬意？乔丹显然不用为这种事儿犯愁，因为他已经做到了。“乔丹的一生已经树立了自己的时尚标签，即使在这个用计算机就能模拟出一切的世界里，很明显还是没有人能做到和乔丹一模一样。能散发出跟乔丹身上一样的味道，穿着跟他一样的衣服，这对我们来说就足够了。”
正如大家所见，迈克尔·乔丹受到大众的认可，他是那个篮球场上受人尊敬的人。乔丹所取得的这番卓越成就不是简单的娱乐游戏，那是由非同一般的坚持不懈、刻苦训练及努力奋斗才锻造出来的！现在你明白为何大家都想成为迈克尔了吧？人们都想拥有跟他一样的名望、财富，也想要跟乔丹一样的生活。你总是会梦想着成为乔丹，这并不是天方夜谭。无论你的目标是什么，只要肯努力、奋斗和付出，就能把理想变成现实。
译者感言
乔丹是“篮球飞人”，他勇于拼搏，看重团队精神。他会把每一次比赛都当成是人生的挑战。以超人的震撼力和领导力，带领芝加哥公牛队6次获得全美篮球联赛冠军。乔丹彻底改变了人们对篮球的认识，他自身就象征着一种美国精神！
曾几何时，乔丹的精神开始影响整整一代人，对乔丹这个名字人们耳熟能详。人们为之折服的并不仅仅是他的球技，更是他那永不言败的精神！这位最强劲的挑战者，刻苦奋斗，依靠实力，等待机会，锐意进取，创造了一个伟大的篮球时代。
