Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam
No. 43 – Toronto Raptors
Position Power forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1994-04-02) April 2, 1994
Douala, Cameroon
Nationality Cameroonian
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school God's Academy (Lewisville, Texas)
College New Mexico State (2014–2016)
NBA draft 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 27th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career 2016–present
Career history
2016–present Toronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Pascal Siakam (born February 4, 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After attending New Mexico State University and playing basketball for the Aggies, Siakam was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.

Early life

Siakam was born in Douala, Cameroon to Tchamo and Victorie Siakam as the youngest of four brothers. Tchamo was formerly a worker at a local transit company and was also the mayor of Makanene. Pascal was initially planned to become a Catholic priest, but had grown to love the game of basketball. Siakam was discovered as a player by Luc Mbah a Moute at a local Basketball Without Borders camp. With Mbah a Moute helping out as a mentor, Siakam moved to the United States at age 16 from one camp to the next to devote himself to being a better professional basketball player before settling at Lewisville, Texas. He spent a year at God's Academy in Lewisville, due to previously being labeled as ineligible for play earlier,[1] before being recruited by New Mexico State University.

College career

Siakam first attended New Mexico State University in 2013. However, because of an injury, he redshirted the 2013–14 season. During his redshirted freshman year at New Mexico State in 2014–15, Siakam was named the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. He averaged 20.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 34 games in 2015–16 en route to unanimous Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.[2]

On April 19, 2016, Siakam declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.[3]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 New Mexico State 34 27 30.8 .572 .000 .759 7.7 1.3 .8 1.8 12.8
2015–16 New Mexico State 34 34 34.6 .538 .200 .678 11.6 1.7 1.0 2.2 20.2
Career 68 61 32.7 .551 .176 .711 9.7 1.5 .9 2.0 16.5

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2016–present)

On June 23, 2016, Siakam was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. On July 9, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors.[4] He made his debut for the Raptors in their season opener on October 26, recording four points, nine rebounds and one steal as a starter in a 109–91 win over the Detroit Pistons. He became the first Toronto rookie to start a season opener since Jonas Valančiūnas in 2012.[5]

Personal

Siakam is the son of Tchamo Siakam, the former mayor of Makénéné, Cameroon, and Victorie Siakam. His father, Tchamo, died in a car crash in October 2014. His three older brothers, Boris, Christian, and James, all played college basketball in the United States.[6] The last of his brothers is now a professional basketball player for the Island Storm in the NBL Canada.

References

  1. ↑ NMSU's Pascal Siakam honors his late father by #DoingItForYou
  2. ↑ WAC Men’s Basketball Postseason Honors Announced
  3. ↑ Pascal Siakam declares for 2016 NBA Draft
  4. ↑ Raptors Sign First Round Picks Poeltl & Siakam
  5. ↑ "DeRozan's 40 leads Raptors to 109-91 win over Pistons". ESPN.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ New Mexico State's Pascal Siakam Is the Best Player You've Never Heard of
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