Pascal Siakam calls out CNN host for butchering his name
Mar 3, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Pascal Siakam has a championship ring, two All-Star appearances, and two All-NBA selections to his name. But what he still doesn’t have is people pronouncing that name properly.
The Toronto Raptors star Siakam, who hails from Cameroon, made the NBA All-Star team this year for the second time in his career. During a recent on-air feature about how many of this year’s NBA All-Star selections were from Africa, CNN anchor Zain Asher flubbed Siakam’s name. She pronounced it as “Pascal Shakeem.”
Check it out.
Nine starters in this weekend's NBA All-Star game are international players https://t.co/43DdfcPyf2 pic.twitter.com/8FrHspwoCp
— CNN (@CNN) February 17, 2023
The error led to a funny tweet on Wednesday from Siakam himself. “Yoooo pascal shakeem is crazy,” he wrote.
Yoooo pascal shakeem is crazy 😳💀 https://t.co/ypcZ9lj7aU
— pascal siakam (@pskills43) February 23, 2023
Siakam’s name is actually pronounced as “see-AHK-am.” Granted, it wasn’t anything personal from Asher, who didn’t have much luck with the names of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid either.
The 28-year-old Siakam is currently enjoying a career-best year for the Raptors, averaging 25.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. At least the mispronunciation of his name wasn’t nearly as bad as the some of the ones from this guy who actually covers the NBA.
