Toronto: Pascal Siakam never dreamed of being an NBA hero growing up in Cameroon, but the lanky forward discovered in a youth basketball camp delivered a stellar performance in his NBA Finals debut.
Siakam scored a playoff career-best 32 points and powered the Raptors over defending champion Golden State 118-109 in Friday’s opening game of the best-of-seven championship final.
Siakam, his homeland’s first NBA Finals player, sank 14-of-17 shots from the floor, attacking one of the NBA’s top defensive squads in moves unexpected when he was discovered in a Basketball Without Borders camp.
“At that time I didn’t even know if I really dreamed of being at this level,” Siakam said.
“I couldn’t even think about this moment because it wasn’t reachable for me. But I think once I got to the point where I felt like I had a chance, I put everything forward and I just worked really hard,” he added.
It paid off for Siakam and showed what talent Africa might yet produce for the NBA.
“It’s amazing. It just shows the growth of the continent,” Siakam said. “Being at this stage and representing the continent is amazing. I just want the game to continue to grow in Africa and for kids to see this and hopefully it inspires them,” he added.
Siakam’s effort and journey drew praise from Golden State’s Draymond Green, the defender he outshined.
