For any announcer, whether it be broadcast or public address at a game venue, being able to properly pronounce player and coach names is paramount. ESPN NBA play-by-play voice Mike Breen knows this.
With Frenchman Victor Wembanyama now on the scene in the NBA, Breen has had to study and practice so he gets Wemby’s name right when broadcasting to a national audience.
Breen told Dan Patrick on Thursday he was impressed with how easily Wembanyama rolled off of his tongue in his interview introduction. He admitted that similar to when Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo first broke into the league, he has to pay particular attention to how he pronounces the Frenchman’s name on the air. It will take him a little bit to get used to saying.
“For some reason, that name I have to concentrate to say it and you say it so beautifully,” Breen said. “It’s like when Giannis came in it took me about a half a season before I felt comfortable saying ‘Antetokounmpo’, and then finally I got it.”
Mike Breen said when it came to Wednesday night’s ESPN game he called at Madison Square Garden between Wemby’s San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, he felt like he had to take his time to make sure he said Wembanyama correctly. He believed he mispronounced the name earlier in the broadcast before getting it right.
Patrick followed up by asking about how frequently he inquires with players about how they say their names, and Breen said in the case of Wemby, on paper, it is pretty clear how to say it. But there are instances where he does need to check in with the players.
“It’s just a matter of saying it correctly,” Breen said of Wembanyama. “But there are a number of them that you have to. For example, remember Anderson Varejão? He played for the Cavaliers. Good player. Very good player. He changed the pronunciation of his name three different times during the course of his career.”
“He was a lovely guy, but he changed it,” he added. “So I do ask them frequently.”
Mike Breen also said to this day some people still mispronounce Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki’s name, with the proper German pronunciation using the v sound for w’s. Some commonly pronounce it as it’s written, emphasizing the w sound.
“These are the hardships of my job,” Breen said.
