Siakam’s Ascent: From New Mexico State to the NBA

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Indiana Pacers Star power forward, Pascal Siakam, grew up as the youngest of six in Douala, Cameroon. Initially, Siakam had a greater interest in playing soccer but it was ultimately his Father, Tchamo Siakam, who had high hopes and dreams of at least one of his sons making it to the NBA.

“People back home never believed in him and he always believed this would be possible one day," Siakam said.

Siakam started playing organized basketball just at the age of 17.

“That’s really mature in the U.S. model to start playing basketball," Siakam's former New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies said. "That's one thing that made him unique, it was the lack of exposure to it and the ability to just be an athlete and have fun. He was as solid as they come for a 17-year-old.”

Siakam's father helped him find a scholarship to a prep school in Texas, God's Academy, where he was then recruited by New Mexico State.

"When we brought him to New Mexico State that first year he actually red-shirted," Menzies said. "That is very rare for someone with his ability but I think it was a good idea to take a year and just get acclimated to how things operate here. There's a lot of culture shock that can settle in and if you're trying to do that and play basketball, it can be a little overwhelming."

However, before stepping on the court for his first official college game, Siakam received gut wrenching news that his father had been killed in a car accident.

“For those of you who know my story, they know how important my dad is," Siakam said. "He had this crazy dream and I’m just blessed to be able to make his dream become a reality and to have the opportunity to keep it alive.”

“That’s when the needle moved rapidly, in terms of him wanting to make it to the NBA," Menzies said. "His motivation was different and his competitive spirit went up a notch. I think once he figured out that he’s the one that has to carry the torch as far as his basketball vision for his dad at having on of his guys play professionally.”

In his first season at NMSU, Siakam earned the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and in his sophomore season he earned WAC Player of the Year.

After two seasons with the Aggies, Siakam declared for the 2016 draft and was selected as the 27th overall pick in the first round by the Toronto Raptors.

In his rookie year, Siakam played in the NBA G-League for the Toronto 905, the Toronto Raptors affiliate team.

He led them to a league championship and also earned the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Siakam has gained attention his whole life from his extreme athleticism but it's his work ethic that's made him the successful player that he is today.

In the 2018-19 season Siakam led the Toronto Raptors to an NBA Championship and was named the Most Improved Player in the NBA.

Siakam had to say goodbye to his Toronto family in 2023 when he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Despite already making his father's dream come true, a new environment wasn't going to stop him from exceeding that dream.

The former Aggie recently earned the NBA Eastern Conference MVP after leading the Pacers to a 4-2 NBA Conference win over the New York Knicks. Siakam continues to prove he's the greatest basketball player to come out of New Mexico State.

He's a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection.

To this day, Siakam expresses his reason for all of this is to live out his father's dream.