My story begins in Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo, a world away from the fast-paced, glamorous life now I live. Circumstances were so adverse that children like me were experiencing malnutrition and had to sell water on the streets to support ourselves and our families — but often it wasn't enough. At one time I was being homeless without a bed, food or clean water.
Then I made a vow to myself: "The way things are right now, I need to go play basketball abroad. Until there is nothing else I can do, I will never stop trying."
My father was a big inspiration because he was a basketball player, too. He was hard on me and pushed me a little bit, but he didn't pressure me to play, as basketball runs in our family's veins.
Basketball is not just a sport, but also an escape when I experienced a series of losses in my life. First my mother passed away, when I was eight years old. Soon after, the bloody Second Congo War broke out. The family fled the city for most of the war, but on our return to Brazzaville, my father was arrested for straying on the wrong side of the battlefield. During his year-long imprisonment, I at first lived with uncles, but then was turned out to live on the street. Eventually, my grandmother took me in.
And I kept training. If I didn't wake up to go run, I wouldn't be here right now. During those runs, while everyone else was sleeping, I knew I had to do something different from the rest to have a different future. People would make fun of me and tell me it was worthless. But in my mind, I always had a vision and a goal.
Ignoring the taunts of peers, I woke at 4 a.m. every day to go for runs, despite the hunger, the lack of electricity and, sometimes, a lack of shoes. These runs defined me. Every morning, listening to my feet pounding the pavement, I knew that with every step, I was building and shaping someone better.
At the young age of 17, I made the move to Spain to play in the second division league, first with L'Hospitalet, then with DKV Joventut. In 2007, I was invited to participate in the Adidas Nations camp; this would be my big break and put me on the rasadar of the NBA scouts.
On June 26, 2008, I was selected as the Oklahoma Thunder's 24th pick in that year's NBA draft, becoming the first player from the Republic of Congo to be selected in the draft. That was when I stepped into a totally different world, began to live in my lifetime dream.
Now I'm fighting in playoffs with Raptors as the top 1 team in Eastern Conference. We have won several wonderful games. Hope we can keep it for long and go as far as possible.
I may have genetic advantages as both my mother and my father played for national basketball teams. But I believe most of you didn't have to go through the things I went through as a kid. I just want to say that never sit back and allow life to happen, you always have to be the author of your own success, embracing opportunities that arise from your hard work.
我的故事开始于我的家乡，刚果共和国首都布拉柴维尔，那里与让人眼花缭乱的NBA世界天各一方。和身边很多孩子一样，我需要忍着饥饿在街上卖水以贴补家庭。还一度无家可归，无处可依，也没有食物和饮用水。
那时我向自己发了一个誓："我一定要走出刚果，去打篮球。直到世界尽头，也不停止努力。"
我的父亲作为一名前篮球运动员极大地激励了我。他对我非常严格，一点一点地推动我进步。但他从不给我打球的压力，篮球是自然而然地流动在我们家族的血脉里的。
篮球对我来说，也不仅是一项运动，还是逃离人生的世外桃源。在我8岁时，母亲因病去世。很快，刚果二战爆发。我父亲带领全家逃离布拉柴维尔和战争，他却在和平归来后，因为战时的政治立场被捕入狱。在父亲被拘禁的一年多里，我先随叔叔生活，后沦落到街头，最后辗转被祖母接收。
这个时候我还在坚持训练。如果那时没有早起跑步，我此刻就不会站在这里。奔跑在众人酣睡之时让我意识到我必须做点与众不同的努力，才能换取一个与众不同的未来。人们会嘲笑我，会说都没有用。但在我的心里始终有一个遥远的梦和一个当下的目标。
没有理旁人的嘲笑，我每天迎接凌晨四点的刚果，起床跑步。常常缺衣少食，偶尔赤脚上阵。这些奔跑真正塑造了我。每一天，脚底蹬踏地面的每一步，我都感到自己在雕刻、成就一个更好的自己。
17岁时，我成功进入了西班牙第二级别联赛，先后效力于L'Hospitalet和DKV青年队。2007年的阿迪达斯篮球训练营帮助我进入了NBA球探的视野，也成为了我人生的转折点。
2008年6月26日NBA选秀，我在第24顺位被西雅图超音速（现俄克拉荷马雷霆）选中，成为了刚果共和国历史上第一位进入NBA选秀并被选中的球员。从这一天起，我踏入了一个和生我养我的地方完全不同的世界。我开始在我一生渴望的梦里生活。
今年我和猛龙的队友们以常规赛东部第一的成绩进入季后赛，在前面的比赛中我们有着不俗的表现，希望我们可以延续好的状态，在季后赛中走的更远。
我也许比旁人多一点基因的优势。因为我的父母都曾是为国效力的篮球运动员。但我相信，你们中的大多数都不需要经历我的成长故事。我只是想告诉你们，不要呆坐着听从命运安排，你必须自己执笔才能书写自己想要的成功。要格外努力，然后拥抱随之而来的机会。
来源：知乎 www.zhihu.com
作者：伊巴卡
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