“Pascal Shakeem is crazy!”: Pascal Siakam Trolls CNN Anchor for Butchering Names of Africans Participating in 2023 All-Star Game

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game might not be as talked about as the previous editions of the exhibition game. However, this past weekend we were able to witness a record-breaking 25 international players from 17 countries participate in the prestigious All-Star Weekend.

Out of the 25 international players, there were 9 players from 8 different countries that suited up for the ASG. The likes of Pascal Siakam, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were stars hailing from Africa.

While reporting the same news, a CNN anchor, who herself is half Nigerian, ended up butchering the names of the African players.

Also Read: ‘All-Star Captain’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Trolls 7ft Sixers Star While Preparing for the Draft

Pascal Siakam and NBA Twitter mock CNN anchor for awful pronunciation

On live TV, Zain Asher managed to mispronounce the names of the Greek Freak and the two Cameroonians, calling them “Janis Antekumpo”, “Pascal Shakeem”, and “Joel Embed”, respectively.

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 Raptor’s forward was shocked when he heard his name being butchered. Taking it to Twitter, Spicy P reacted:

Yoooo pascal shakeem is crazy

Yoooo pascal shakeem is crazy https://t.co/ypcZ9lj7aU

— pascal siakam (@pskills43) February 23, 2023

NBA Twitter also mocked Asher for the same.

When the anchor saw the names she had to read pic.twitter.com/u4zQVoTjpk

— Justo (@JuiceTho) February 23, 2023

paschal shakeem gonna be my new alias when i check into hotels

— Travonne Edwards (@Travonne) February 23, 2023

The station after she pronounced Bam Adebayo correctly and didn’t miss on all of them pic.twitter.com/B1ax2yv2uk

— RJ Barrett Fanatic (@PlayoffBoundNYK) February 23, 2023

pic.twitter.com/4xlKaxydkK

— . (@KwaniALunis) February 23, 2023

How did the international players perform in the 2023 All-Star Game?

While Antetokounmpo only played for about 20 seconds, he did have one dunk before he rode the bench for the entire clash.

First-time All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lauri Markkanen recorded 9/2/7 & 13 points and 7 rebounds respectively.

Team Giannis players Bam Adebayo had 4 points in 24 minutes, Domantas Sabonis put up a 6/4/1 stat line, and Pascal Siakam lodged 12/7/4 in 15 minutes.

Whereas, for Team LeBron, Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving recorded 32 points each, with Luka Doncic scoring merely 4 points in 19 minutes.

Also Read: Jayson Tatum Becomes Only Player to Record 50-Point Outings in 4 Types of Games While Winning 2023 ASG MVP