Three major difficulties in transoceanic challenges
"The biggest challenge is definitely language." Any basketball player who comes to the United States to challenge will all regard language as the biggest difficulty. "Basketball is a team sport. It requires constant communication and coordination on and off the court, so the language is not good. Don’t challenge the NBA." said the Bucks scout who scouted Antetokounmpo.
Many people have a wrong understanding of language learning. They will automatically learn it after a few years of speaking in the local area. However, "being able to speak" and "communicating deeply" are two different things, especially basketball learning and training from off the court, and coaches and Discussions with teammates and rapid communication on the court require more than just the ability to speak the language. "When I first came to the United States, I couldn't speak a word of English. Now, although I can speak and understand some, I can't speak English." I still don’t fully understand the slang and idiomatic expressions,” said Nene, who has been in the United States for more than 15 years. Ibaka also believes that the biggest difficulty is language, especially when he first arrived in the United States. There are no resources or channels to learn the language. The only friends may be teammates and coaches. "My teammates don't know how to teach me, and I can't communicate with them. Fortunately, I was on the same team as Thabo Sefolosha in the first year and we could still communicate in French," Ibaka said.
Even though he is from Europe and has learned English, Frank Ntilikina still thinks that the detailed timing and grammar of the language are more difficult than imagined. "I still can't fully convey my meaning in English, and I can't fully understand the thoughts of my teammates. Fortunately, the thinking of basketball is not far apart, and we will understand each other as the tacit understanding increases." Rudy Gobert, also from France, also finds it difficult to understand the precise use of English. "I speak English well, but I often cannot use the most correct words. But thanks to the globalization of the Jazz team in recent years, Gobert got advice from his seniors and used movies and albums to hone his language skills. "I often use movies to simulate situations. I will also ask my teammates and coaches when I understand.”
On a competitive basketball court, the second challenge for foreign players is to win the respect of everyone. "Although I am from Europe, I am not white. Everyone thinks that I should have the strength and wildness of black Americans." Ntilikina Said that in the NBA, the highest basketball palace, the confrontation between players will be more intense. "If you can't show your skills and value, you won't win anyone's respect. This is a cruel stage." Capela said, he believes If you don't show all your hard work and attitude, you will only be looked down upon by your teammates and competitors.
Dante Exum also believes that winning respect is a very big challenge. He joined the NBA with the name of an Australian genius. In private, Exum is a very introverted and shy player. In addition, due to constant injuries in the early stages of his career, Exum often felt unable to fulfill the rumored strength. As for the gossip, "Many people think that my ability is exaggerated, but my injury and personality have prevented me from playing freely. It was not until this season that I played at a better level, and the people who gossiped about me shut up." "The thin Parker also had a similar experience. When he first arrived in the United States, he was often thought to be too thin and unable to withstand the fierce collisions at the NBA level. "When I first went to the Spurs training camp, some players knocked me down and then looked down on me. , I immediately wanted the ball back with a big turn, and no one dared to look down on me from now on."
In the end, all players almost unanimously agreed that integrating into the local culture was the biggest difficulty. When many young foreign players first arrived in the United States, they often had no idea where else to go other than the training base, accommodation and stadium, and often stayed at home during holidays. Playing video games or watching TV, Antetokounmpo is one of them. When he first joined the NBA, in addition to practicing, he stayed at home and played video games. But part of the reason was because the filial Antetokounmpo sent most of the money home to his parents, but On the one hand, he really doesn’t know where to go. “Besides McDonald’s, I really don’t know where else to go. I’m glad I’m in Milwaukee. If I were in a big city like New York, I would probably go there as soon as I go out.” I fainted." After the Bucks' senior player Caron Butler learned about Antetokounmpo's condition, he would take Antetokounmpo out for a walk. "I am very grateful that there was a veteran who was willing to take me out at the time, which made me feel more relaxed and comfortable."
Although Embiid seems to be very integrated into American culture online, he was not used to it when he first came to the United States. "After training, teammates will get used to the place where they can relax, or make appointments to go to a bar or amusement park." , but I have never seen any of these in Africa. I can only stay in the dormitory and look at the computer or play games." Capela has a similar situation, "The reason why I often cannot communicate with my teammates is that I can't keep up with their topics. "You can't keep up with the latest American pop culture." But they all believe that the more harmonious they get along with their teammates, the better they can integrate into the culture.
