The pronunciation of Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Ajay Mitchell’s name seems pretty straightforward.
Don’t tell that to Denver Nuggets broadcaster Chris Marlowe, who added an unnecessary degree of difficulty to that pronunciation on Wednesday night.
The Nuggets hosted the Thunder Wednesday for an early-season Western Conference showdown. The game was tight throughout but that didn’t stop the Thunder from sending their 2nd round selection out early on to see what he could do. When Mitchell checked into the game, however, his relatively simple first name seemed to throw Marlowe for a complete loop.
It sounds as though he pronounces Ajay as “En-yo-jay.”
Can someone help me understand how this Nuggets announcer just pronounced “Ajay Mitchell”? pic.twitter.com/lO4iKY81oy
— THE UNCONTESTED PODCAST (@The_Uncontested) November 7, 2024
How did we get “En-yo-jay” out of Ajay? It’s hard to say. There isn’t anyone on the OKC roster with a name similar to that and Marlowe clearly says that he wears No. 25. Unless someone gave the Nuggets broadcasters a gag media guide, we’re at a loss as to how he got there.
He even said it again later on in the game as well, though this time it sounded like he dropped the first part and went with “Yo-jay” Mitchell.
— courtland (@courtlandds) November 7, 2024
Mitchell saw a little over nine minutes of action in the game, scoring three points and grabbing one assist and one steal. He also picked up a couple of new first names while he was at it.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.