Former NBA All-Star Wally Szczerbiak recently revisited one of the most unexpected moments of his career—a hilarious, unsolicited cameo on national television that turned his difficult-to-pronounce name into a punchline. Speaking on Scoop B Radio, Szczerbiak detailed the memorable scene involving his then-Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, Kevin Garnett, and actor Jamie Foxx on the latter’s popular show, The Jamie Foxx Show.
The Unpronounceable Jersey and the Hip-Hop Remix
The televised segment, which aired during Garnett’s first stint with the Timberwolves, featured the basketball legend as a guest staying at the King’s Tower hotel. According to Szczerbiak, the comedic climax arrived when Jamie Foxx’s character was seen wearing a Minnesota jersey—but not Garnett’s own.
Foxx explained that the store had run out of KG’s #21 jerseys but, in a joke about inventory and popularity, still had “a whole lot of Wally Szczerbiak jerseys.” The issue quickly became how to pronounce the tongue-twisting surname, which is correctly sounded out as “SIR-BE-AK.” Instead of attempting the difficult feat, Foxx and Garnett chose to forgo the pronunciation lesson and broke into a spontaneous and hilarious chanting session. The two stars delivered the infamous refrain from Three 6 Mafia & UGK’s 2000 hit “Sippin’ on Some Sizzurp.”
A Lasting Moment of Culture Clash
The unexpected celebrity shout-out quickly became a staple of early 2000s basketball lore, a moment Szczerbiak now recognizes as a piece of cultural history. Reflecting on the scene, he confessed that the magnitude of the moment would have been even greater in the current digital landscape.
“I remember when that happened,” Szczerbiak stated. “If social media was alive back then my computers would have been blowing up.”
More than just a funny bit, the moment serves as a reminder of his complex relationship with his Hall-of-Fame teammate. Szczerbiak described his tenure in Minnesota as a significant chapter of his life, acknowledging that while “we had our ups and downs” with Garnett, “in the end, everything worked out well.” Ultimately, the former swingman views the event as a positive relic of his playing days, concluding: “That was a pretty funny scene though one that I will always remember and always go back to YouTube and watch.”
