English Original
There were already signs that Michael Jordan had a good deal of talent. His classmate and close friend, Harvest Smith, who played basketball with him practically every day, thought he was the best player on their ninth-grade team. "He was small, but he was very quick," Smith said. "The only question was how big he was going to be."
The summer after ninth grade, Jordan and Smith attended a basketball camp. They were both physically underdeveloped compared to the older varsity players. In Smith's mind, Jordan was the far better player. However, when the varsity team cuts were announced, Smith made the team, but Jordan did not.
It was a devastating blow. Jordan searched the alphabetical list repeatedly, hoping he had missed his name. He went home alone and cried in his room.
The assistant coach later explained they wanted Jordan to get more playing time on the junior varsity (jayvee) team. There, Jordan dominated through sheer quickness, scoring up to forty points per game. His performances became so popular that the varsity players would arrive early to watch him play.
Smith noticed that after being cut, Jordan became even more fiercely competitive, determined to never let it happen again. His coaches observed the same relentless drive. Ron Coley recalled first seeing Jordan play in a jayvee game where his team was down by twenty points with one minute left. While other players coasted, Jordan was playing with full intensity.
Between his sophomore and junior years, Jordan grew about four inches, gained strength, and could dunk. He remained the hardest-working player in practice, pushing both his teammates and coaches. Suddenly, Laney High School had the beginning of a strong team, led by its rising star: Michael Jordan.
中文翻译
早在早期，迈克尔·乔丹就显露出了非凡的天赋。他的同学兼密友哈维斯特·史密斯几乎每天都和他一起打篮球，他认为乔丹是九年级球队中最好的球员。"他个子小，但速度非常快，"史密斯说。"唯一的问题是他将来能长多高。"
九年级后的夏天，乔丹和史密斯参加了一个篮球训练营。与年龄更大、身体更成熟的高中校队球员相比，他们都还未完全发育。在史密斯看来，乔丹是两人中出色得多的球员。然而，当校队淘汰名单公布时，史密斯入选了，乔丹却没有。
这对乔丹是一个毁灭性的打击。他反复查看按字母顺序排列的名单，希望自己漏看了名字。他独自回家，在房间里哭了起来。
助理教练后来解释说，他们希望乔丹在二队获得更多的上场时间。在那里，乔丹凭借纯粹的速度主宰了比赛，单场得分高达四十分。他的表现变得非常受欢迎，以至于校队球员都会提前到场观看他的比赛。
史密斯注意到，在被淘汰之后，乔丹的竞争心变得甚至更加激烈，决心不让这种事再次发生。他的教练们也观察到了同样不懈的驱动力。罗恩·科利回忆起第一次看到乔丹在一场二队比赛中的表现，当时他的球队在比赛只剩一分钟时落后二十分。当其他球员敷衍了事时，乔丹却在全力以赴地比赛。
在十年级和十一年级之间，乔丹长高了大约四英寸，力量增强了，并且可以扣篮。他仍然是训练中最努力的球员，督促着他的队友和教练。突然间，莱尼高中开始拥有一支强大的球队，其领军人物正是冉冉升起的新星：迈克尔·乔丹。