Pascal Siakam working to change perception of African NBA players
Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors is aware of the stereotype that surrounds African players in the NBA. In the league’s history, African players have largely been reduced to a pretty specific role.
“We’re always used to having big mans,” said the native of Cameroon during a recent episode of Inside the Green Room with Danny Green. “Like, guys that… want to block and just run, set screens and dunk occasionally.”
That’s the reputation that players such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo cemented for themselves during their impressive NBA careers. But their successes may have inadvertently impacted the way NBA executives look at players from the continent, and the way African players look at themselves.
Although he began playing the sport later than most, even Siakam felt the influence of previous African greats. What makes the 24-year-old different, though, is the fact that he’s been able to see beyond that.
“For me, it just felt like, I always felt like I could do more,” he said. “That was always my mindset and I always wanted to break that.”
Known for bringing plenty of energy to the floor in his first two seasons with the Raptors, the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has also shown plenty of offensive potential in his third campaign.
He’s playing nearly ten more minutes per game than he did last year, and his 14.4 points per game in 31 contests this season is nearly double the 7.3 he averaged in 2017-18.
Unfortunately for the Raptors, their last game against the Denver Nuggets was the first game that Siakam has missed this season. Toronto went on to lose that game 95-88 and, as a result, the Raptors (23-9) are officially 0-1 this season without the young power forward.
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