Two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady (特雷西·麦克格雷迪) has just begun his extended career in China, arriving in Qingdao to join the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles team (青岛双星雄鹰队) on October 24.
McGrady, the seven-time All-Star player spent six years from 2004-2010 playing alongside Yao Ming for the Houston Rockets, which has made him popular in China. He was welcomed by over 1,000 fans at the airport when arriving in Qingdao, and leaped into training immediately after a health examination.
McGrady is reportedly the highest-paid player in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and his coach has already targeted the playoffs (季后赛). He vowed (发誓) to help the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles win the CBA championship. “All I can do is try hard day in, day out and provide great leadership to my teammates to achieve the goal,” McGrady said at the welcoming ceremony. The DoubleStar Eagles was ranked ninth in the 17-team CBA last season.
The CBA, with its increased competitiveness, has attracted several former NBA players to join in recent seasons, with former New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury (史蒂芬·马布里) its greatest success story. The 35-year-old player led the Beijing Ducks (北京金隅) to the CBA title earlier this year.
“It’s good for Tracy,” McGrady’s former Houston team mate Shane Battier (肖恩·巴蒂尔) said. “Maybe he just wants something new and different, which a lot of guys do after playing in the NBA for so long. China’s definitely a good choice.”
But it remains unknown what the 33-year-old player will be capable of doing. “The CBA isn’t as easy as people think,” warned Marbury. Its talent level has gotten higher, he said, noting that NBA All-Stars Steve Francis (史蒂夫·弗朗西斯) and Kenyon Martin (肯扬·马丁) had also played in China, while former MVP Allen Iverson (艾伦·艾佛森) is seemingly considering the idea.
两届NBA得分王特雷西·麦克格雷迪已经在中国开始了他的新生涯，他在10月24日加盟了青岛双星雄鹰俱乐部。
麦迪，这名从2004年到2010年和姚明一起为休斯敦火箭队效力的七届全明星球员，在中国已经聚集了很高的人气。当他抵达青岛的时候，他在机场受到了1000名粉丝的欢迎。在经过体检之后他立刻投入到了训练之中。
麦迪被报道是CBA有史以来最大牌的球员。他的教练也已经把目标定在了季后赛。麦迪也发誓想要帮青岛双星雄鹰队夺得CBA总冠军。“我唯一能做的就是日复一日的努力，然后用出色的领导能力带领我的队友取得冠军。”麦迪在欢迎仪式上这样说道。青岛双星雄鹰队在上赛季CBA17个球队中排名第9。
CBA，由于其不断提升的竞争力，已经在过去几个赛季吸引了好几位前NBA球星加盟，曾经的纽约尼克后卫史蒂芬·马布里就在这里取得了成功。这名35岁的球员在今年上半年带领北京金隅夺得了CBA冠军头衔。
“这对特雷西是很好的选择。”麦迪的前休斯敦火箭队队友肖恩·巴蒂尔说道，“也许他想要得到一些新的、不同的东西，这是许多人在NBA奋斗很久之后想要做的，中国无疑是个好的选择。”
但是仍然充满疑问的是这名33岁的老球员有能力去做多少。“CBA并不是人们想的那么简单。”马布里警告说。虽然天赋同样很高，但是史蒂夫·弗朗西斯和肯扬·马丁在中国打球过程中也依然没有取得什么。当然，现在前NBA的MVP艾伦·艾佛森似乎也在考虑这个想法。
