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Pascal Siakam is a Cameroonian basketball player who plays power forward for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. Siakam became one of the best players in the NBA virtually overnight, helping the Raptors to win their first championship in franchise history. His unique combination of athleticism and finesse makes him a player that is hard to duplicate in the league today.
Pascal Siakam attended God’s Academy in Lewisville, Texas after moving to the United States at age 16. The decision to play high school basketball was one that wasn’t met with much fanfare, as Siakam was not a highly touted prospect or someone who drew a lot of attention in the collegiate recruiting world. Nonetheless, what he did do was good enough to earn him a scholarship at a Division I university.
Siakam was recruited to play for the Aggies of New Mexico State University. Despite being in a small conference in the Western Athletic Conference, the school was one of many programs out west building a tradition in mid-major conferences. The San Diego State Aztecs and Gonzaga Bulldogs were following the same road map to success, with Siakam doing his part to help the Aggies continue their budding basketball tradition.
After redshirting for a season, Siakam played two years with the Aggies. The second of thos seasons was the highlight of his college career, as Siakam averaged 20.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game en route to a unanimous WAC player of the year selection. The team earned an NCAA bid in one of Siakam’s two seasons, with Siakam entering the NBA Draft after his sophomore campaign.
The Toronto Raptors selected Pascal Siakam with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft. Despite being one of the last first-round picks of his draft class, Siakam had a work ethic that made him an attractive prospect. In his rookie season, the Raptors had him split time between the NBA and the G-League, where Siakam was named MVP of the G-League Finals. He started the NBA Raptors’ first 35 games at power forward in his first regular season as an NBA player, but lost his spot, which gave him his chance to shine in the G-League. His NBA debut that season came against the Detroit Pistons.
In his second season in the league, Siakam built a reputation as a key reserve player. He upped his scoring average by three points per game and developed his ability to find teammates for open looks as well. But his meteoric rise in his third season was a huge leap over his improvement in year two, and helped the Raptors win their first NBA championship.
In year three, Siakam averaged nearly 17 points per game, along with 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per night. He helped the Raptors turn into a dangerous team heading into the playoffs, where they would knock out the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, led by league MVP and all-star captain Giannis Antetokounmpo, in the Eastern Conference Finals. After getting to the NBA Finals for the first time, Siakam made an impact in the series against the Golden State Warriors. His defense and shot making helped push the Raptors over the top, with Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry and Siakam earning a title after a six game series victory.
In the ensuing offseason, the Raptors signed Siakam to a four year, $130 million contract extension in the wake of Kawhi Leonard’s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers. The deal solidified Siakam as an anchor of the team’s future, not only expected to hold off the rest of the Eastern Conference, but to get the better of teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets in the West as well.
Pascal Siakam signed a four year, $130 million contract extension with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. He had made just over $6 million from his rookie contract before signing this deal, which will put him into nine figures in career earnings. Siakam has an estimated net worth of $20 million. Siakam works with Nike, wearing their shoes while he is on the court.
Siakam was born in Douala, Cameroon to Tchamo and Victorie Siakam. He has three brothers. Romantically, he has been linked to Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu, who is arguably just as famous as Siakam in Canada thanks to her winning the US Open title. Siakam has no children at this point in time.
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