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https://reurl.cc/QeadLo

There’s a quiet algebra underneath the NBA’s trade deadline. Front offices
scout on-court talent and evaluate skill sets and conduct background
intelligence, yet many players sent to a new team, halfway through each
season, get included simply because their contracts’ values can be
substituted for X. Their salaries balance the equation so their life becomes
uprooted and a career can get left behind.



That’s how and why Tony Snell was traded to New Orleans in February 2022, a
necessary variable to help the Pelicans acquire C.J. McCollum from the Trail
Blazers. Snell held a role in Portland, playing 14.4 minutes and flanking
opposing wings with his 7-foot wingspan. He appeared in just 15 games for the
Pelicans, shooting along his career average of 39.6% from distance, only to
fade entirely from the playoff rotation. Head coach Willie Green never called
his number, and no teams came calling that summer after Snell became an
unrestricted free agent.



And so one year after his world flipped, when Snell returned to a
professional court with a G League jersey now on his back, a strange
sensation came with each step of his sneakers. The buzzer blaring and the
pregame clock reaching zero always brought a euphoria he could only capture
on hardwood, whether Snell was leading the New Mexico Lobos or after the
Chicago Bulls made him a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. A decade
later, joining the Maine Celtics at the end of January 2023, Snell found a
string of nerves knotting his insides.



“Of course, I want to come back and play, but I have a bigger purpose now,”
Snell told Yahoo Sports. “It’s not about me anymore. It’s about my boys.”

"當然，我想回到NBA打球，但我現在有更大的目標"Snell告訴Yahoo體育"這不僅僅是為了
我自己而已了。這是為了我的孩子們。"

Snell is now in his second straight season with Maine, Boston’s affiliate
club, still flashing the two-way strengths of his prime. He practices each
day and plays each game hoping all his hard work can generate an NBA call-up
— not just the 10-day contract so many of his peers would absolutely crave.
The 32-year-old 3-and-D specialist seeks to find his way onto an NBA team’s
active roster by Friday, signed for the rest of the season, in order to
compile a 10th year of service for the players association’s retiree
benefits program. That additional season would make Snell eligible for the
union’s premium medical plan — beyond his current single qualification —
which would also cover his whole family, including his two sons, Karter, 3,
and Kenzo, 2, who were both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.



“It’s something I truly need,” Snell said. “Not only for myself, but for
my wife and my kids.”

"這是我非常需要的東西"Snell表示"這不只是為了我自己，這也是為了我的老婆與孩子。"

During his 2020-21 campaign with Atlanta, the Snells’ nanny first mentioned
Karter was showing textbook signs of stalled development. By 18 months, the
family’s first born could only say one word, pointing at the household’s
NBA player and calling him “Dad” or “Dada.” Karter would need five toys
in his hands at all times, typically featuring a miniature basketball. “And
you take one, he’ll have a temper tantrum,” Snell said.



Snell thought nothing of his child’s behavior. He recalls not talking
himself until he was 4 or 5 years old. He never felt he could relate to his
sister or his cousins or his uncles, and they all left him to shoot baskets
and play video games in solitude, repeating the same rhythms for hours on
end. He kept to himself even after all those repetitions honed a shooting
stroke worthy of the NBA. Snell even met his wife, Ashley, at a barbecue
hosted by his Chicago Bulls teammate, Jimmy Butler, because he was sitting by
himself. She has an explorer’s heart and mind — Snell lovingly calls her “
Dora” — and Ashley wandered across the backyard wondering why this
professional athlete wasn’t the life of the party. “She caught an interest,
” Snell said. “And that’s all she wrote.”


Ashely在後院四處遊蕩，想知道為什麼這位職業運動員不適應派對。"她引起了我的興趣，
"Snell說。這就是全部。"

When a second nanny suggested they get Karter examined, the couple took him
to a doctor who helped the family get him an autism evaluation. After months
of waiting, a common hurdle for pediatric patients, they were finally able to
get Karter evaluated by a specialist. Snell watched as his child was put in a
playroom, grabbing certain blocks of certain colors. When the testing
revealed Karter’s diagnosis, all the levers in Snell’s mind shifted into
place. He would go on to get evaluated himself, but the results only
confirmed what he’d since come to suspect: After three decades and a
full-fledged NBA career, Snell learned he was on the spectrum as well.



Naming his experience brought a newfound clarity. “I honestly felt relief,”
Snell said. “I always knew I was different from everybody else. Just
observing other kids, just observing everyone around me. How they were
interested in each other and they just clicked. I couldn’t find a way to
click or relate. Basketball was honestly the only reason I had friends.”



Now Snell hopes he can use the game to foster countless connections. He wants
his annual basketball camp, through the Tony Snell Foundation, to “have kids
on the spectrum and kids not on the spectrum play together, interact, and see
we can compete at a high level, together, and figure things out.” The Snells
are aiming to further research and understand the tribulations behind
pediatric testing, as families can wait up to three years to learn of their
child’s diagnosis, delaying opportunities for critical therapies during
early neurodevelopmental periods. Karter, for example, after his first eight
months of speech therapy, expanded his range to include 20 words. He can
count as high as 20, now knows shapes and colors, and is able to communicate
his needs and wants.



With Maine, Snell has found himself more vocal than ever before, a veteran
mentor 10 years older than the average age of his teammates. His playing time
has waned with the Celtics’ recent two-way signing, Drew Peterson, playing
the same position. And Jordan Walsh, Boston’s second-round pick last June,
has been on assignment this season. Snell has stayed the course, offering
lessons from his previous playoff battles, many coming against their very
Celtics. He’s taken a particular liking to two-way guard J.D. Davidson, a
soft-spoken ball-handler Snell has seen quietly come out of his shell.



“I want to share my knowledge with the young guys. I have enjoyment from
helping them out and showing them what I see,” Snell said. “I’m at the
stage where I want to inspire people and help as many people as I possibly
can.”

"我想與這些年輕的傢伙分享我的知識。我很享受幫助他們並像他們展現他所看到的東西"
Snell說。"我已經到了想要激勵人們並盡可能地幫助人們的階段。"

Not just players. “People in general,” Snell said. “If they’re willing to
learn, I’m willing to share.”

不僅僅是球員。"任何人，"Snell說。"如果他們願意學習，我願意分享。"

今天老巴也在節目上談到了這篇文章

https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1753215918883356915

Charles Barkley calls on NBA teams to sign Tony Snell after a viral article
from @YahooSports this week detailed the veteran forward's need for medical
coverage for his two children with Autism.

Charles Barkley在這篇Yahoo的文章廣為流傳後呼籲NBA球隊簽下Tony Snell來讓他與他的
兩個小孩獲得他們自閉症需要的醫療保險與服務

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※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 98.217.185.18 (美國)
※ 作者: EZ78 2024-02-02 09:48:40
※ 文章代碼(AID): #1bl4dw3v (NBA)
※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/NBA/M.1706838522.A.0F9.html