Pascal Siakam spent the first seven-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors, and he clearly has not forgotten about them.
The multi-time All-Star big man Siakam met with reporters on Monday after officially signing his new contract extension with the Indiana Pacers. During the press conference, Siakam had an unfortunate slip of the tongue. While attempting to thank the Pacers organization, Siakam accidentally said, “I want to thank the Raptors” instead.
Here is the video.
Pascal accidentally thanked the Raptors instead of the Pacers https://t.co/cOcXwptRLs pic.twitter.com/x99TYhOWAj
— OG's Scarf (@OGsHeadband1) July 8, 2024
Siakam did quickly correct himself and say “the Pacers organization.” But that is still a moment that the 30-year-old ex-All-NBA selection probably wants back.
In fairness to Siakam, the Raptors were the only NBA team that he had ever known until his trade to the Pacers last January. Siakam was a first-round draft choice by Toronto (No. 27 overall) in 2016 and developed there into a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA honoree, and a starter on the Raptors team that won the 2019 NBA championship.
But those days are now over for Siakam, and he is being paid handsomely to move forward in Indiana. Siakam, who averaged a 21-8-4 line for the Pacers last season, is now committed to the team through 2028 on a new four-year, $189.5 million max extension. The Pacers are also coming off their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2014 and recently added a former No. 2 overall pick in free agency as well.
