Seeing former colleagues was enjoyable, catching up with old friends was amazing, and seeing a tribute film undoubtedly demonstrated Pascal Siakam’s importance to the Raptors.
But, when the video played and Siakam stood in the center of Scotiabank Arena, he noticed a spotlighted area with every fan wearing some version of his No.43 Toronto jersey, and that was the moment.
“To see that whole section with my jerseys, that almost got me right there,” Siakam said after he and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Raptors 127-125 in his return to the city after eight years away.Seeing old teammates was nice, checking in with old friends was special, and seeing a tribute video surely showed Pascal Siakam what he had meant to the Raptors.
But after the video played and he stood in the middle of Scotiabank Arena, Siakam saw a spotlighted section with every fan wearing some iteration of his No.43 Toronto jersey and that was the moment.
“To see that whole section with my jerseys, that almost got me right there,” Siakam said after he and the Indiana Pacers eked out a 127-125 victory over the Raptors in Siakam’s return to the city after playing eight years here.
It was that kind of night, another beloved player welcomed back after being sent away by the franchise. Siakam got the same treatment so many other, equally deserving ex-Raptors have, and he felt the love from every angle.
Siakam was the last Pacers player to take the court and the few thousand fans already in their seats began cheering the minute they saw him.
He hadn’t reached midcourt before old pal Jakob Poeltl had wrapped him in a long embrace. Garrett Temple came over to show the same appreciation, Gradey Dick said hello, and Scottie Barnes stood and chatted and laughed for a minute or two.
The traditional tribute video — moved to the team introductions from the traditional first timeout slot so Siakam could actually watch it — elicited a lengthy standing ovation and there were cheers every time he did something, including hitting a game-sealing basket with about 20 seconds left.
