Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a brilliant back story ready-made for the NBA Finals.
The same can be said for Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso.
But among everyone wearing Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers jerseys, no one tops Pascal Siakam when it comes to the unbelievable.
“I was telling this story so much over the last two weeks to people that don’t know Pascal’s story,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said.
“Pascal was headed to pastoral school. He was going to study to be a pastor. I think he would have been the first (6-8) pastor in the world.”
As Game 1 approaches between the Thunder and Pacers, Siakam is a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, and was awarded the NBA’s Most Improved Player award for the 2018-19 season.
He’s also earned $185 million in nine seasons, and the Cameroon native won a world championship in 2018-19 with Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.
On Thursday, the 31-year-old forward was four wins away from his second NBA Finals trophy, while starring for a small-market team that was never supposed to make it this far.
“Pascal’s an NBA champion,” Tatum said.
“He won that championship. He is a tough competitor. He loves being on this big stage — you can see that.”
It took a huge life decision just for the 6ft 8in and 230lb Siakam to put on a uniform on a basketball court.
“We had this Basketball Without Borders camp, and his sister was studying in South Africa, which is where the Basketball Without Borders camp was,” Tatum said.
GettySiakam helped Indiana eliminate the New York Knicks[/caption]
GettyHe’s been a huge addition for Indiana after a 2024 trade from Toronto[/caption]
GettySiakam is looking for his second NBA Finals trophy[/caption]
“He decided to go to the camp, not because he wanted to play in the NBA — he wanted to be a pastor — but because he wanted to go see his sister. And it was at that Basketball Without Borders camp that he really got discovered.”
Basketball eventually brought Siakam to the United States. Then he went to high school in small-town Texas and attended college at New Mexico State, before becoming the No 27 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft.
He only started five games in his second pro season, then won Most Improved Player in his third.
Defense, full-court intensity, and career averages of 18 points and 6.7 rebounds highlight an All-NBA talent that has turned Siakam into the Pacers’ second-most important player.
He leads the team in scoring (21.1) and rebounds (5.8) in the postseason, while adding 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.6 minutes.
But it’s the personal decision that Siakam made in choosing basketball that has already impacted thousands of lives, and will inspire thousands more during the 2025 Finals.
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“He’s changed so many people’s lives in terms of him going back to Cameroon, going back to the continent to contribute his time, his resources,” Tatum said.
“It’s just a wonderful tribute to why we make the investments that we make in Africa and around other parts of the world.
“Because it literally changes lives. And Pascal’s a living example of that.”
