French Basketballer Steeve Ho You Fat Went Viral Overnight for His Last Name

Although the NBA preseason is in full swing, all eyes are on the French professional league known as LNB Pro A.

On Oct. 4, an exhibition game between the G League Ignite and Metropolitans 92 dominated social media, thanks to one star athlete on the latter team. No, we're not talking about Victor Wembanyama, who will likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft; we're talking about, wait for it ... Steeve Ho You Fat.

The 34-year-old veteran basketball player has been in the league for 14 years, yet he's just taking the world by storm. Why is that? Well, we think you can figure it out — his last name, of course! The Frenchman has gone viral on social media due to his surname, and many are curious to know: Is "Ho You Fat" his real name, or is it a stage name? Let's find out.

As it turns out, Steeve's actual surname is, well, Ho You Fat. According to Yahoo! Sports, he comes from a family of "logistics men who lorded over the largest port in French Guiana." Steeve's paternal grandfather, Jean, immigrated from China in search of better opportunities; since then, the Ho You Fat family has kept an "iron grip" on the Cayenne bank.

"There was no ship that arrived on the shores of Cayenne without permission from the Ho You Fat company," the outlet noted.

While their surname has been the butt of many jokes in America, it's carried a darkness with it for years — why is that? Well, Steeve's father, Ivan, fell for and married an African dance teacher, which didn't bode too well with the Chinese community.

"Chinese people don’t like to mix [marriages]. I’m Black, it’s a Chinese name, so it’s not easy to talk about that,” Steeve told Yahoo! Sports. "But that’s it. I’m proud of my name, I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud of my dad and my mom."

Speaking of feeling proud, Steeve doesn't appear to mind that his surname has blown up on social media. He's joined in on the fun by sharing several posts to his Instagram Story and acknowledging that his jersey is suddenly in high demand.

Since his game on Oct. 4, hundreds have taken to Twitter to express their desire to purchase a Ho You Fat jersey.

"Where can I buy a Steeve Ho You Fat jersey?" one person asked. Another said, "[I] need a Ho You Fat jersey for the next music festival expeditiously." A third fan commented, "I’m gonna get a Steeve Ho You Fat jersey even if it’s the last thing I do."

Luckily, the baller understands his fans are desperate for a jersey because he's recently been teasing it's on the way.

"Looks like they really want that jersey," he wrote on one of his Instagram Story, adding later on that his jersey will be "available soon." So, make sure you are one of the first in line because there's no doubt in our minds Steeve Ho You Fat's jersey will be one of if not the best-selling jersey worldwide.