Which came first: Saskatchewan or the sasquatch? That question probably never occurred to you, unless you were watching the Utah Jazz play the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
During the basketball game, Fox Sports announcer Mark Followill pointed out that Jazz forward Trey Lyles was the first person from Saskatchewan to ever play in the NBA.
“Of course that region’s known for being known for being home to a lot of sasquatches,” broadcast partner Jeff Wade added. “That’s what it’s named for.”
It’s not clear why Wade made that connection. Lyles, a 6-foot-10 rookie out of the University of Kentucky, is a very tall man, even by NBA standards, but he is not Bigfoot.
The clip quickly made its way back to Saskatchewan, and bemused Canadians took to Twitter to correct, or at least mock, Wade.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall joked that his province is as well-known for sasquatches as Utah is for jazz.
Canadian music video director Stephano Barberis suggested that America was named after somebody named Erica.
A Bigfoot expert also took issue, saying that Sasquatch sightings aren’t even that common in Saskatchewan.
“Sasquatch or Bigfoot are mostly associated with the Pacific Northwest,” science writer Chris Rutkowski told CTV news.
Wade, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the hubbub, calling it “the greatest moment of my life … ever.”
In case you’re still wondering, Saskatchewan got its name from the indigenous Cree word for “swift-flowing river.”