Pascal Siakam will wear Indiana Pacers across the chest, but his heart will always be in Toronto.
Wednesday's trade was more than business for all parties involved. It brought Raptors' president Masai Ujiri to tears discussing it, and Siakam had similarly strong emotions in his farewell letter posted to The Players Tribune.
Siakam noted that he had difficulty envisioning himself playing anywhere else than the Raptors. When his agent asked him where he saw himself in the future, he only had one answer.
"Where do I see myself?" Siakam wrote. "I mean…… Toronto."
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Siakam's letter also emphasized that he never asked for a trade and thought that he "could be one of those dudes who spends his whole career on one team."
That desire to stay with the franchise was born out of Siakam's love for the city of Toronto.
"This is home," Siakam wrote. "I put roots down for myself here — like, really, roots. I hope people reading this understand how big that was for me."
Siakam was searching for a community after leaving Cameroon, and he found it in Toronto.
"Toronto made me feel like I belonged from day one. I loved the diversity — I’d go out and I’d see Cameroonians, Ghanaians, Mexicans, Koreans, Jamaicans, Europeans, just all types of people from all types of communities. It made me feel comfortable."
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Siakam made sure to praise all of his veterans, along with the young guys that he came up with. One funny note was mentioning Jakob Poeltl teaching him how to shotgun a beer.
Despite leaving Toronto, Siakam made sure to mention that he will continue his charity work in the city through his PS43 Foundation, helping children through education.
Siakam made sure to reference how much love he had for the fans. "Not just the love I feel for them, but that I’ve shared with them."
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In a nice anecdote, Siakam described how excited he was when fans started wearing his No. 43 jersey when he was a rookie. Seeing the popularity of his jersey growing within the fanbase was a big deal for him and helped him feel as if he belonged in the city.
His biggest moment was, of course, winning an NBA championship in 2019.
"It was this moment that changed people's lives ... if you were there then you get what I’m talking about."
Siakam cemented his place in Raptors lore with his clutch shot in the clinching game of that series.
Pascal Siakam. Thank you for everything.
— Dan Gee (@DanCanTweet) January 18, 2024
Especially for THE SHOT. 🌶️🏆 pic.twitter.com/HCC44npnfL
He's had a ton of highlights since then, made two All-NBA teams and given the fans some great memories. He will be missed, and the closing to his letter says everything for Raptors fans: "I'm Toronto forever."
