What to know
Scottie Barnes corrected a reporter’s pronunciation of “Toronto” during NBA All-Star Media Day, emphasizing the city’s softer second “T.”
The clip quickly went viral, surpassing one million views and sparking debate online about the correct way to say the city’s name.
Many Toronto fans praised Barnes for embracing the local pronunciation and defending the hometown sound.
Raptors’ Scottie Barnes schooled a reporter on how to pronounce ‘Toronto’ correctly — and the city is standing behind him.
In a viral moment from the NBA All-Star Media Day, a reporter asked the forward what his walkout song is when he plays at home — but Barnes couldn’t get past the jarring hard pronunciation of the second ‘T’ in Toronto.
“Toronto, Toronto,” Barnes corrected, dropping the second ‘T’ consonant sound. “You [have to] say ‘no,’” he added with a smile.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it clicked for the reporter, who brushed off his correction with a brief “yeah, yeah” before continuing her question.
With the Now Toronto clip sitting at more than one million plays by time of publication, many criticized the reporter ignoring Barnes’ note, as well as emphasized what they believe is the correct way to pronounce the city.
“This is called listening but not hearing,” one commenter said on TikTok.
“Hard ‘T’ followed by the silent ‘T.’ Toronto,” another commenter wrote.
“I was born and raised in Toronto and I say churrono,” one said.
“Love that he’s correcting her! He’s part of us now,” another shared.
The two-time All-Star hails from West Palm Beach, Florida, and was drafted to Toronto in 2021. Barnes made headlines over the weekend for his performance in the All-Star game, with a game-ending, overtime 3-pointer for his team in the opening mini-game against the World.
