After a stellar 2016-2017 season at SMU, Semi Ojeleye was selected with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and he landed in a fantastic situation with the Boston Celtics. Though the 23-year-old has logged less than 500 minutes in his rookie season, Ojeleye has shown flashes of potential, especially on the defensive end of the floor, and he may just have a future in the league.
Still, Ojeleye isn’t quite a household name just yet, especially when it comes to actually spelling his less-than-common surname. With that in mind, the Celtics released a video of his teammates attempting to spell “Ojeleye,” and in short, hilarity ensued.
Young swingman Jaylen Brown mercifully ended the process by actually spelling Ojeleye’s name correctly, but prior to that, there were plenty of amusing attempts, highlighted by Aron Baynes, who seemingly had no idea how to even pronounce his teammate’s name.
In some ways, Boston’s depth makes it hard for the rookie to crack the rotation, but in the same breath, the Celtics do allow Ojeleye to perform well on one end while putting him in positive situations on the other. One day, Semi Ojeleye may ascend to heights of players with difficult names and the ultimate test of the public being able to spell his name without reference. We just aren’t quite there yet.
