Denver Nuggets backup center Deandre Jordan was shamed in a pretty funny way this week when his team’s public addresser called him by the wrong name while running down the team’s starting lineup for the evening, and the reaction to the miscue is chef’s kiss good.
While Jordan has transitioned to being a rotation player for various teams in recent years, the 14-year NBA veteran was once an elite talent in the league at the start of the previous decade. During his tenure as the man in the middle for the Los Angeles Clippers, he was one of the best defensive players on the planet.
Jordan earned All-NBA defensive honors twice, All-NBA on three occasions, and was an All-Star in 2017. Those kinds of seasons are what helped him land a massive four-year, $87 million deal from the Clippers before the 2015-2016 season, and made him become the most famous Deandre in the league. However, things have changed, as his skills have declined with age and Phoenix Suns star center Deandre Ayton has become the most notable man with that name in the NBA.
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It seems that fact was embedded in the mind of the Nuggets’ public addresser Kyle Speller earlier this week.
Denver Nuggets player gets shamed during the announcement of starting lineups
Before Denver’s preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 10, Speller was running down the starting lineups for both teams. A duty that is one of the key parts of his job for the organization. On this night. Jordan was getting the start with league MVP Nikola Jokic sitting out of the matchup. Well, it seems the PA had a different Deandre in his thoughts when he announced that starting for the Nuggets, at the center was Deandre Ayton, not Deandre Jordan.
What makes the moment so great, is the progression of realization as teammates noticed the flub first, then Jordan, and then the shared shock of such an established player being on the wrong end of a shameful mistake. It’s the sort of thing that should happen to an athlete on a 10-day contract. Suffice it to say, Speller is in preseason mode just like the players.
- Deandre Jordan stats (career): 9.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.5 BPG