NBA阿根廷妖人：丑小鸭的成长历程
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>>Full Name: Emanuel David Ginobili

>>Nicknames: Manu, Gino && Narigon

>>Birthday: July 28th, 1977 

>>Birthplace: Bahia Blanca, Argentina 

>>Weight: 95.3 kg

>>Height: 198 cm 

>>Position: Guard 

>>Team: San Antonio Spurs 

>>Preferred Shirt Numbers: 6, 10 && 20 

　　欧洲联赛冠军、NBA总冠军、奥运会冠军、三次MVP（意大利联赛两次，欧洲联赛一次）……吉诺比利的履历表写满了荣誉。一次又一次，阿根廷人“妖人”在NBA决赛里玩“心跳过山车”。

"It's just the way he's built. I never talk to him. I never try to motivate（激励） him. I never say a word. I just watch. The more I watched him play, the more I realized there was going to be a hell¹ of a lot more good doing it his way than my way."
                                          ——Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 

HE is the most disconcerting（使不安） player among NBA stars: A man without a plan! When the ball finds its way into his hands, all he knows is that, somehow, it's going in the basket. He doesn't care whether the points end up next to his name. He just wants the final score tilted²（倾斜） in his favor.

He was small and skinny
When Manu was born in 1977, his parents already had two sons. He was their little brother in every sense of the word. Younger than them by seven and five years, Manu was very small and skinny（极瘦的） as a kid. No one would have ever guessed that this little boy was going to be the greatest basketball star from Argentina.

The sport was in his blood
The sport was in fact in Manu's blood. Though most Argentineans live and breathe soccer, Manu is an exception³（例外）. He watched the NBA whenever he had the chance. When he was young, the only NBA coverage⁴（报道） available usually came during the league Finals. Games were rarely broadcast during primetime（黄金时段）, so Manu stayed up（熬夜） until all hours to watch them.

Never been afraid to try different things
By the time Manu reached his teens, he experienced⁶ a growth spurt⁷（激增）. In two years, he shot up 10 inches（25.4cm）. At first, he was a bit awkward⁸（笨拙） in his new body. Though he stood very tall, he weighed only 160 pounds. One coach even instructed him to never shoot beyond the 3-point line because it seemed that he hadn't enough strength to reach the rim⁵（篮筐）. But Manu had never been afraid to try different things — Defend, score and pass, he could do each of the three equally well! 

The ups and downs
As Manu got stronger, he soon discovered that his life would never be the same. He is now a national hero of Argentina and a superstar of the world for he has led his teams to win championships in Europe, the Olympics and the NBA.

Now, Manu is experiencing the ups and downs in the NBA Finals. After two exciting wins, two painful losses and a crucial⁹ win, Manu says to the Spur's fans and himself, "I'm going to be fine."

上一篇：中国骄傲之星：执著于NBA的巴特尔 下一篇：18岁神童丁俊晖：世界级台球冠军