“I wanted to do something different.…. But things happen for a reason,” Pascal Siakam recalled during an interview with TSN. You would find it hard to believe that the Indiana Pacers star wasn’t even initially interested in basketball. However, once he picked up that ball, he had to work hard to prove his worth. Today, if he stands on that pedestal others only dream about, he couldn’t help but be thankful for what life and the people around him have done for him.

Spicy P recently sat down for an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. She highlighted how remarkable Siakam’s life story is. Coming from Cameroon to the United States, not playing organized basketball until he was about 18 years old, and now on his way to becoming a two-time NBA champion. When asked if young Pascal Siakam would want to say anything to him now, the player confessed, “I think, for me, well I’m sure he probably going to be proud and excited. And, I don’t think he saw some of these things in his vision board, if he did have one.” Being here, in his position, Siakam couldn’t help but feel “blessed”.

“Like I’m blessed to be in this position, coming from where I come from, and my dad, my family, just so many people that helped me along the journey to get to this place,” Siakam added. “I’m just super blessed and kind of humbled about where I am now.”

Siakam further added during the interview, “Still a long long way to go, and I’m going to keep fighting and keep working hard to accomplish as much as I can. Despite that, it’s a great feeling to be in this position, and just looking back and knowing that that little kid that was back in Cameroon, like, he never really envisioned none of this. It’s a proud moment for me, for sure.”

Pascal Siakam was born the youngest amongst 4 boys. As highlighted by ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, he had never “clamored” to watch the NBA games that were occasionally broadcast in Cameroon like his 3 older brothers did. Each of the brothers landed college scholarships in America, with Boris at Western Kentucky, Christian at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and James at Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, their father enrolled Pascal in St. Andrew’s with the hope that he would become a Catholic priest.

At 15, Siakam went to former NBA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s basketball camp, reportedly on a whim. It was there where he was discovered, and where his journey to enter America 3 years later, and soon the NBA, began. Though Siakam did not become a priest, he was still pursuing his late father’s dream, who passed away in October 2014 in a car accident. After all, he had always hoped that one of his four sons would make it to the NBA.

“The way he talked about the game and how bad he wanted it to happen for one of my brothers, to play in the NBA, he was always passionate about it,” Siakam recalled back in 2016. “I think he would be so happy. He would just brag about me to his friends, and he would be so, so happy. I know that he’s somewhere watching, and he’s happy there.”

Now, Siakam has the chance to add to his legacy by having 2 rings to his name. Fortunately, he and his teammates are not losing focus as they continue to progress through the NBA Finals.

Pascal Siakam highlights Pacers’ Underdog Mindset before Game 4

“It’s always been us against everyone,” said Pascal Siakam recently. This, and Aaron Nesmith claiming that “We enjoy being the underdogs” during NBA Finals Media Day, highlighted just what the Indiana Pacers squad thinks about themselves. The team ranked 5th out of 7 for odds to win the NBA Finals, and had +700 odds upon entering the Finals. Despite this, they now hold a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. That ‘underdog’ status has not changed for Game 4 either. For Pascal Siakam, holding that belief will only help them.

During the interview, Malika Andrews highlighted that even though the Pacers are bigger underdogs for the upcoming matchup, they prefer that. Siakam confirmed this by stating, “Yeah, I mean, I think that’s perfect for us. We just got to stay focused on the group, do our jobs, and for us, as much as long as we can, just minimize the outside noise and not worry about everything that’s outside of us, and it keeps us just focused, and our team. We have a lot of underdogs, and I think that’s a good place to be.”

If there is someone who understands what it is like to be considered the underdog, even on the individual level, it is Pascal Siakam. Even after he won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP title, many people argued that Tyrese Haliburton deserved it more. However, what Siakam had was consistency. He continues to have that for the NBA Finals, averaging 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in the 3 games so far.

Having continued to defy expectations, it remains to be seen whether Pascal Siakam & Co. can do it again in Game 4.