As a Columbia-trained data analyst raised in Brooklyn’s streetball culture, I’ve traced the names behind the 2025 NBA draft withdrawals—not just random mispronunciations, but systemic misclassifications of global talent. From Dakar to Dresden, these athletes were never evaluated on their true potential, but on phonetic bias and institutional assumptions. This isn’t about scouting—it’s about who gets defined as ‘talent’ in a system designed to ignore the quietest voices.