Pascal Siakam is not taking his successful NBA career for granted.
The Indiana Pacers forward was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after being his team’s most consistent contributor in their series against the New York Knicks.
There were discussions about Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton arguably being snubbed for the award. But Siakam ultimately won over five of the nine voters for the prestigious plum.
Haliburton was infamously named the most overrated player in the NBA, which led to some pretty incredible moments this postseason. While Tyrese has been far and away the most visible player on Indiana’s roster, Siakam has been the team’s unsung hero.
On Saturday, the Cameroonian forward showed his humility when asked about what winning the award meant to him.
“I know I’m not the guy that everyone’s going to talk about a lot, and all that stuff. I really don’t care about it,” said Siakam.
“I’m just a young kid from Cameroon that moved to the US when I was 18 years old and gave everything to the game of basketball. I just work every single day. I don’t cheat the work. Good games, bad games, I’m in the gym. I care about the game of basketball, and I want to be as great as I can.
“To me, that’s all that matters, man.”
Siakam was discovered by former Cameroonian NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute when the former was 17 years old. Despite having virtually zero organized basketball experience, a teenage Pascal was invited to a “Basketball Without Borders” camp in South Africa.
"I'm just a young kid from Cameroon, that moved to the U.S. when I was eighteen years old and gave everything to the game of basketball."
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 1, 2025
—Pascal Siakam on what winning the Eastern Conference finals MVP trophy meant to him 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KMS0SKFRbs
At the camp, Siakam caught the eye of soon-to-be Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri. The Raptors executive drafted Siakam out of New Mexico in 2016.
On Saturday, Ujiri was nearly in tears as he spoke about Siakam’s success since the two first crossed paths across the Atlantic almost 15 years ago.
“That guy's success is my success no matter where he is."
— Masai’s Burner (@OwnedByToronto) June 1, 2025
– Masai on Pascal Siakam
pic.twitter.com/M7k8hUSznc
Siakam was slated to become a Catholic priest if his basketball career had not blossomed the way it did. He turned out to be a divine blessing for two different NBA franchises.
