In basketball, no one wants to be called for traveling. But from his days playing on backyard dirt courts on the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians 在长达十年的职业生涯中，他曾去过欧洲和亚洲的赛场, Joe Burton has definitely been a traveling man.
伯顿不太可能的旅程开始于圣哈辛托山脉山麓的部落土地上，在这条路上有许多里程碑式的事件 Riverside and Palm Springs. When he enrolled at Oregon State University in 2009, 伯顿成为第一个获得太平洋十校(现在的太平洋十二校)全额奖学金的美国原住民男子篮球运动员. 他是一个技术娴熟、多才多艺的大个子，身高6英尺7英寸，体重295磅，是球队历史上唯一一个得分超过1分的球员,000 points, grab 700 rebounds, and dish out 300 assists.
自从毕业后，我获得了一个文科学位，主修美洲原住民的文化和历史, Burton has played professionally in Finland, Denmark, Kosovo, Japan, and most recently France. 他获得了2015年荷兰职业联赛的年度统计球员荣誉，并于次年被评为法国LNB职业B联赛最有价值球员. 尽管他还在打球，但伯顿已经被奉为经典 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame, 加入了吉姆·索普和奥运会中长跑金牌得主比利·米尔斯等传奇人物的行列. 而且他是唯一入选的男子职业篮球运动员.
乔·伯顿肯定环游过世界，甚至征服了沿途的几个地方. 但索波巴保留地将永远是他的家，伯顿希望他的故事能给部落的年轻人上重要的一课.
他说:“这是关于在自己身上冒险，赌自己能出人头地. 我和很多孩子聊过，他们会说学校离家太远了. But if you leave, you can always come back. 我的房子在保留区，紧挨着我妈妈，我奶奶还有我的叔叔阿姨. 所以我告诉孩子们这里永远是家，保留区永远是家. Always. Just get off the reservation and go see the world. 从你所有的经历中学习，把它带回保留区，把你的经历教给其他孩子. 试着扩大保留区，文化和生活方式.”
他的大家庭在保留区有房子的地方被称为西尔瓦斯公寓, named for Burton’s late grandfather Charles Silvas, Sr. 被称为B-Bop的席尔瓦斯在该地区执教足球、篮球和垒球. Like his grandfather, Burton is also a versatile athlete and played baseball, football, and volleyball, 最后，他的母亲敦促他专注于一项运动. Which turned out to be basketball. And clearly Burton chose well.
问他什么时候意识到自己有高水平打球的天赋，伯顿犹豫了, laughs and says, “When other people started telling me I was good. People other than my parents and my grandpa. When we went to tournaments, I knew that I was pretty good, that my teammates made me better and I made them better. Maybe that was in my freshman or sophomore year.
“镇上的其他人都说我让他们想起了我的爷爷. 我爷爷不再和bbin游戏官网在一起了，但我将永远活在他的阴影下. Always be B-Bop’s grandson. I’ll never get my own name.”
When Oregon State coach Craig Robinson, the brother of former First Lady Michelle Obama, came to recruit Burton, the two hit it off quickly. In interviews, 罗宾逊说，这个保留区实际上在某些方面让他想起了他所知道的芝加哥南区, where he and the First Lady had grown up.
“He was a bit in shock,” says Burton. “他是一个受过教育的人，也许你可以在书中读到一些东西，听到一些故事，但实际去看保留区是不同的. 当bbin游戏官网去芝加哥的时候，大概是我大三的时候，我觉得那里的一些地方和保留区一样. Just less dirt. We’ve got more dirt roads down here than they have up there.”
After committing to Oregon State, 伯顿开始了解他作为联盟第一个美洲原住民奖学金篮球运动员所创造的历史. 伯顿说他百感交集:“当我听到这个消息时，我既兴奋又悲伤. 因为我参加过本土比赛，也见过很多孩子，bbin游戏官网有很多天赋. The thing is we just need the opportunity. Then you have to have the work ethic.”
伯顿当然很努力，并充分利用了他在俄勒冈州立大学的机会. He played in 130 games over his four-year college career, tying the record for the most in school history, and turned into a fan favorite for his hustle, baseline spin moves, and no-look passes. Thanks to his coach’s connections in high places, Burton became only the second member of his tribe to meet a U.S. 并有机会与奥巴马总统多次交谈, including at the White House.
“Oh man, it was great. He knew who I was, and my first year I was nervous when I walked up and he said, ‘Oh, you’re the Native American,” Burton says. “Sophomore year, I was like ‘Mr. President,’ junior year I called him Barack, and senior year it was like ‘What’s up man, what’s up B-Man?’ Just got comfortable because he’s a down-to-earth guy. And to be in the White House? It was crazy. 一个来自索波巴的少年会见了美国总统? Unbelievable.”
伯顿希望至少再打几年，但他已经在为自己在场外的未来做计划了. He launched Hunwut Clothing, a line of Native-inspired casual ware. Hunwut is Burton’s longtime nickname and, appropriately enough, means “bear” in his native Luiseño language. 伯顿的土著背景在欧洲引起了相当大的关注，他说人们不仅向他要篮球装备, such as game jerseys, but also souvenirs from the reservation. 他认为，Hunwut服装公司的t恤是他将粉丝与Soboba文化联系起来的一种方式.
With his diverse skill set and engaging demeanor, 伯顿似乎是天生的教练，并认为自己是一个潜在的助理教练, 这样他就可以一对一地和孩子们一起工作，而不是专注于游戏中的X和O. 他的最终目标是组建一支美洲原住民旅行球队，在AAU的巡回赛上比赛. “挑选最优秀的球员，努力让他们得到关注，这样他们就能进入大学，也许还能在职业联赛中打球,” he says.
不管伯顿打完篮球后的旅程走向何方, 很明显，他将永远与索博巴社区保持联系.
“I’m Native through and through,” he says. “I’m from Soboba, I always rep that. Everywhere I go. I love my culture; I love my reservation. Just love my people.”
