Well said, Siakam reviews his return to the NBA Finals over the past six years

Well said that Siakam looks back at how he helped the Pacers reach the NBA Finals in six years

Pascal Siakam looks back at his six-year return to the NBA Finals, leading the Indiana Pacers to confront the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Pascal Siakam returns to the highest stage in basketball. This time, as an experienced core player, he leads the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals again after 25 years. The Pacers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on Thursday at 8:30 pm ET for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Siakam will play a key role in Indiana's championship journey. On Wednesday’s media day, the 31-year-old striker reviewed his long and difficult journey from leading the Toronto Raptors to the top in 2019 to leading the Pacers back to their peak.

"I want to say, it was an incredible journey... Of course, it also went through many difficult times and learned from adversity," Siakam said. "I used to think that life is not always good, but it is this beauty that makes me who I am today. And at this moment, I realize that as a player, I have been through almost everything... many highs, many lows, and it all makes the journey sweeter. For me, I enjoyed all these moments, which made me cherish everything... and be able to play freely on the court."

Siakam's last NBA Finals was in his third season of his NBA career, when the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors and won the team's first championship. That series marked his gradual rise in the league. In the following years, he was selected into the All-Star three times, once to the NBA All-Second Team No. 2 and once to the NBA All-Second Team No. 3.

His career in Toronto ended midway through the 2023-24 season when he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. The move reshapes the Pacers’ trajectory, with Siakam pairing with Tyres Halliburton to form one of the league’s most dynamic duo. The Indiana Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals the same season and returned with a deeper, more balanced roster this year.

Siakam played a central role in the Pacers' playoff success. After three rounds of games, he averaged 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game, shooting as high as 53.7% from the field and 46.3% from three-point shooting percentage. The Pacers eliminated the New York Knicks in six games, and Siakam won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. The Pacers advanced to the finals for the first time since 2000. Siakam is the most experienced player in the finals in the team’s roster and will bring leadership and playoff calm to the young team against the talented Thunder.

Thursday's game was a match between two teams that exceeded expectations throughout the season. For Siakam, it marked the pinnacle of his six years of growth, adversity and perseverance—all of which brought him back to his former home.