pascal siakam raptors

CNN butchers Pascal Siakam's name and his response was hilarious

If you're a die hard Raptors fan, you could probably list the whole team's roster with ease. But ever heard of, uh, Pascal Shakeem? 

British-Nigerian CNN anchor Zain Asher made headlines this week after butchering the pronunciation of Raptors star Pascal Siakam's name. 

In a segment covering all of the African talent in the NBA, Asher spoke about the notable international players that were "taking over" the All-Star Game that took place in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday. 

Speaking about the players, Asher first mispronounced the name of Greek-Nigerian Milwaukee Bucks superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Asher went on to also butcher the name of Cameroonian player for the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid (incorrectly reading his last name as em-BID instead of em-BEED). 

The CNN anchor also incorrectly and hilariously introduced Toronto's Pascal Siakam as "Pascal Shakeem." 

Dozens of people subsequently began mocking the host on Twitter, and questioned if she was briefed on the proper pronunciations prior to going on air. 

Even Siakam himself responded to the video, but remained a good sport as he laughed off the confusing ordeal. 

Others were confused about who exactly "Pascal Shakeem" is, and joked that the name would become their new alias. 

Other people said they would understand an honest mispronunciation of one name, but to butcher the names of some of the top NBA players in the league was "diabolical." 

Despite this little hiccup, Siakam emerged victorious alongside Team Giannis at the NBA All-Star Game. The Raptors superstar managed to score 12 points, with seven rebounds and four assists. 

Lead photo by

@pskills43


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