Even though Pascal Siakam is now playing for the Indiana Pacers, he’s still showing Toronto some love! The former Raptors star is in the city this week as the Indiana Pacers face off against Toronto on Tuesday evening.
Prior to the game, Siakam made a special appearance at the Humber College campus basketball court to host an event for the Data Dunkers program — an initiative (between Siakam’s PS43 Foundation and Dell Technologies) that combines basketball and data science for students in grades 5-12.
Celebrating with my Data Dunkers today @ps43foundation
Shoutout @dell for being an incredible partner on this special initiative pic.twitter.com/butD9rmqtN
— pascal siakam (@pskills43) December 3, 2024
“We always know that technology is the next big thing, and knowing certain communities, just not having the resources, it’s finding different skills that the kids can learn,” Siakam said in a video posted to X on Monday about the event. “I think you make time for things that are important. No matter how tired you are, no matter what’s happening, I think you can always find time to touch into the community.”
On his PS43 Foundation page, Siakam — who spent eight years with the Raptors — stated that it had been an enormous privilege to play on Canada’s NBA team.
“…the Toronto Raptors — and my work with the PS43 Foundation has been a huge part of that journey. Thank you to the hundreds of great Canadians who have contributed to our successes so far with the PS43 Foundation. Not only have you made my time in my adopted home country so memorable and life changing, you’ve changed the lives of young people across Canada, too,” he stated, promising that his work will continue.
“While my job may take me away for a while, Toronto and Canada will always be my home, and our Foundation will continue to help improve the lives of Canadian youth and build on the successes we have had.”
The Toronto Raptors will face off against the Indiana Pacers at Scotiabank Arena tonight at 7:30 pm. If you’re looking for ways you can give back to the city, click here.
