2016 NBA Draft: Hardest names to pronounce, ranked

10. Cheick Diallo, C, Kansas

Cheick Diallo is the ultimate glass-half-empty, glass-half-full prospect when it comes to pronunciation. On the one hand, his last name is a cakewalk, as it sounds exactly how it looks. Seeing as that’s the name announcers will use most frequently when discussing him, the risk of mispronunciation is overall relatively low.

On the other hand… there’s his first name. Whereas one might expect it to sound like “cheek” or “check,” it’s actually pronounced “shek,” per this video from Kevin Romary of 6Lawrence.com. That’s news to ESPN’s Michael Eaves and ESPN’s Mark Jones, both of whom said “check” during recent broadcasts.

If it’s any condolence to that duo, some of the coaches recruiting him last year couldn’t even get it right.

“It’s funny that people still say it wrong,” Diallo told Jason Jordan of USA Today High School Sports in October. “But I don’t mind. I’m so used to it by now. I just go on and answer them; I do recognize when people say it the right way since it doesn’t happen too much.”

Boston Celtics reporter Amanda Pflugrad nailed the pronunciation of Diallo’s first name in a recent pre-draft video with ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman, proving a bit of preparation can go a long way. With Diallo likely to be selected in either the late first or early second round, analysts better start practicing saying his first name.

Next: 9. Petr Cornelie