In a game that featured two of the most sought-after basketball prospects in the world, it was another athlete who stole the spotlight because of his unusual name.
French basketball player Steeve Ho You Fat went viral immediately after American viewers spotted his jersey for the first time during ESPN’s broadcast on Tuesday night.
Several social media users refused to believe what they were seeing until they completed a quick internet search to verify that the player’s name is, indeed, real.
Hold up… what pic.twitter.com/txamjLvtdO
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) October 5, 2022
Steeve Ho You Fat – A Real Name – Is The Only Man In The World Who Could Steal The Show From Victor Wembanyama vs Scoot Henderson https://t.co/SzRs71Bfzc pic.twitter.com/bEzwfMy4AF
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 5, 2022
Steeve Ho You Fat has been grinding in France for like a decade and I'm glad he's finally getting the respect he deserves https://t.co/HvZoWSVsv6
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) October 5, 2022
Steeve Ho You Fat is the greatest name in sports history pic.twitter.com/R0prOT8Ptf
— OddsShopper (@OddsShopper) October 5, 2022
ESPN commentators were also having a lot of fun during the broadcast.
The NBA commentator was having fun with French basketball player Steeve Ho You Fat đ€Ł
đ„ @NBATV pic.twitter.com/lPhGULOw7Y
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) October 5, 2022
Announcer: “Ho You Fat with the three. Yes I just said that. That is that manâs name.â đđđ
(via @_Talkin_NBA)
â Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 5, 2022
Tuesday’s game featured French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, who is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft, according to ESPN.
Scoot Henderson, the projected No. 2 pick, also showed off his talents in Tuesday’s showdown.
Wembanyama’s Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 team faced Henderson’s G League Ignite in Henderson, Nevada, as stars such as Chris Paul and A’ja Wilson attended the game.