Pascal
Siakam
Cameroon
·
Basketball
Date of birth | 2 April 1994 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Douala |
Age | 32 |
Nationality | Cameroon |
Career start | 2016 |
Disciplines | 5x5 Basketball |
Pascal Siakam didn’t start playing organised basketball until the age of 17, but by the age of 26 he was an NBA champion.
Pascal's journey started in Douala, Cameroon, in a family of six siblings. Even though his older brothers – Boris, Christian and James – all eventually went to play Division I college basketball in America, Pascal had other plans. He was more interested in soccer.
His father, Tchamo, who passed away in 2014, enrolled his youngest son at a Catholic seminary and sports seemed the furthest thing from Pascal’s career path. And then, everything changed.
From budding soccer player to NBA champion
After an invite to a Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa at the age of 16, Pascal went to a prep school in Texas and later played college basketball at New Mexico State, before he was drafted in the first round by the Toronto Raptors in 2016.
Pascal went from a promising prospect in his rookie NBA season to a bench player in his second year and blossomed into the starting power forward of a championship team in his third season, earning the league's Most Improved Player award en route to the Raptors first-ever NBA championship
In Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Pascal announced himself to the rest of the basketball world with a 32 point performance, scoring 11 straight shots at one point, the most consecutive baskets by anyone in a Finals game in the past 20 seasons.
A new challenge
In 2024, Pascal was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he quickly emerged as a key veteran presence on a young, dynamic roster. His leadership and playoff experience were critical during the Pacers' 2025 postseason run.
Pascal’s standout performances earned him the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and he was instrumental in pushing the team to a hard-fought Game 7 in the NBA Finals, the franchise’s deepest playoff run in recent memory.
A three-time NBA All-Star, Pascal's story continues to be one of resilience, adaptability and relentless determination.