Pascal Siakam shares how he’d be a 'Raptor forever' in video to fans

Pascal Siakam is paying tribute to Toronto in the wake of being traded from his long-time NBA home, sharing with fans he thought he would be a “Raptor forever.”

The former Toronto Raptor-turned-Indiana Pacer shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption “Toronto Forever” with a red-heart emoji and a hashtag nodding to his jersey number.

“To the fans, Raptors Nation, just, thank you,” Siakam said, following a brief video montage of his early-career highlights. “You guys embraced me on the first day. Taking me as one of your own [...] Just to know that you guys support from the first day that I put on a Raptors uniform, that’s something I will always be forever grateful for.”

After thanking everyone – from Canada to those on the team – “Spicy P” shared how he evolved as a man while growing up in the city, and how he was able to establish his legacy.

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“Going through my journey as a Raptor that was always my mindset. I want people to remember my name,” Siakam said, before diving into PS43 Foundation and why he established it. The Foundation aims to honour Siakam’s late father, Tchamo Siakam, by creating educational opportunities in math, computer science and technology for Canadian youth.

The pro-baller also touched on the times when fans doubted the Raptors were going to make it to the playoffs or that the team “wasn’t getting the respect we deserve,” – something that Siakam said hurt because he was part of the community and embraced “everything that meant to be a Raptor.”

“All I wanted to do was go out there and play at the highest level I could ever play at, and win, because I felt like the city deserved it, I felt like the country deserved it,” he said.

To cap the video off, Siakam shared how he never “imagined” playing for another team outside of the Toronto Raptors.

“The moment I had to start thinking about it was probably one of the hardest times, because in my head it was difficult to just think about the idea of leaving, and that’s no disrespect, I just never thought about it. It never crossed my mind because I thought I would be a Raptor forever,” Siakam concluded.

• From draft to trade: Pascal Siakam's Raptors career in pictures

On top of bearing his heart on camera, Siakam published a piece in the Players Tribune on Friday, where he reflected on his six seasons with the team and his love for the city.

SIAKAM WRITES ON HIS TIME WITH THE RAPTORS

“As far as fans go, I want to say a few things. One: it’s so much love. Not just the love I feel for them, but that I’ve shared with them. The way that people in Canada have fallen in love with the Raptors while I’ve been here, it’s like it happened in just the right way, at the right time. When we were really ready for it – and needed it,” he said in the piece.

Siakam was drafted by the Raptors in 2016 and as a late-first round pick expectations for the power forward were not particularly high.

But he went on to defy expectations, becoming a two-time NBA all-star who was an integral piece in the Raptors 2019 NBA championship.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday following the announcement of the trade, Raptor’s President Masai Ujiri said he understands how hard the shakeups have been for the players and the team but underscored the changes are necessary as part of the long-term plan.

“Yesterday, with Pascal. Incredibly difficult,” Ujiri said. “But we’re also excited about the new direction of the team.”

Ujiri says that the front office’s main focus now, and has been, on building the team around star Scottie Barnes.

But despite now being a former Raptor, Siakam said in the Players’ Tribute article that Toronto will always be home.

“None of [the trade] changes what Toronto has meant to me, though, and what it will keep meaning. That’s the main thing I wanted to say to everyone: This is home,” he wrote.

“My work may take me elsewhere, but Toronto will always be home – the place where I came of age as a player, and found the causes that I am passionate about,” Siakam said. “I will forever be thankful to this city and its people.”

Siakam will return home to Toronto to play the Raptors on Valentine’s Day.