How do you pronounce Max Abmas’ name? A guide to talking about Oral Roberts star during March Madness
Oral Roberts was the best story in esports when he shocked No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida in 2021 en route to the Sweet 16. Two years later, the Golden Eagles are back in March Madness.
So did Max Abmas, who was the star of the 2021 team and has remained one of the top all-time scorers in college basketball.
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Abmas is averaging more than 22 points per game for the third straight season and shooting over 50 percent and 38.9 percent from 3-point range in his career. The senior guard gives Oral Roberts the shooter type Duke may not be able to match in the first round.
As Abmas looks to lead the Golden Eagles to more upsets, it could be easy to miss mentions of his name on the show. His name is Abmas, but it’s not pronounced the way it looks.
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Here’s what you need to know about how to pronounce Abmas’ last name and why it’s pronounced the way it is.
How do you pronounce Max Abmas’s name?
No, the show doesn’t misrepresent Abmas’ name every time he scores. Abmas is pronounced “Ace-miss,” meaning the “B” makes an “S” sound.
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This surprised fans during Oral Roberts’ run in 2021, and with the Golden Eagles likely to have more eyes on the Golden Eagles in 2023 thanks to their regular-season success and Duke as a first-round opponent, his name will be included safety attract even more attention.
Here’s what we know about why Abmas’ name is pronounced very differently than it looks.
Why is Max Abmas’s name pronounced the way it is?
The reason for Abmas’ odd pronunciation was a mystery at the start of the 2021 NCAA tournament, but his father clarified any confusion in an interview with a local ABC affiliate during Oral Roberts’ run.
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Abmas’ father said the “B” was originally a sharp S, also called Eszett. It’s a German letter similar to “B” but actually pronounced like an “S”.
Abmas’ father admitted that it’s hard to expect people to know how to pronounce the name right away.
“Whatever people call me, I generally respond to that,” he said in the interview.
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Max Abmas stats
| season | games | PPG | role playing game | APG | FG% | 3P% |
| 2019-20 | 31 | 14.4 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 41.1 | 36.6 |
| 2020-21 | 28 | 24.5 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 47.7 | 42.9 |
| 2021-22 | 30 | 22.8 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 42.2 | 38.9 |
| 2022-23 | 33 | 22.2 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 44.1 | 37.7 |
| In total | 122 | 20.9 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 43.8 | 38.9 |
Abmas is averaging over 22 points per game for the third straight season and continues to shoot efficiently.
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His 2,549 career points rank him 57th in Division I basketball history and fourth among active players. With Antoine Davis, Darius McGhee and Taevion Kinsey all not participating in the NCAA tournament, Abmas enters the tournament with more career points than any other player participating in March Madness.