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For the third time in his nine-year career, Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam was recognized as an NBA All-Star in 2025. With San Francisco hosting the 2025 All-Star weekend, Siakam admitted the Oakland Arena brought back good “memories” of his 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors.
As the former home of the Golden State Warriors, the arena hosted Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, when the Raptors clinched the title with a 114-110 win. Siakam instantly lighted up at the thought of his lone championship when he was reminded of the fact by a reporter.
“You know the championship, you know the vibes, man,” Siakam said. “[The Oakland Arena] brings back memories, for sure… It makes me happier.”
Pascal Siakam relishes the chance to be in the building where he won his first championship 🏆
(via @NBAAllStar)pic.twitter.com/kdRQCpWcIr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 15, 2025
The 2019 NBA Finals was the final playoff series the Warriors played at the arena, then known as Oracle Arena, before moving back to San Francisco for the following season. While most of the weekend festivities are held at the Chase Center, the Warriors' current arena, the Oakland Arena was used to host NBA All-Star media day on Saturday.
As Raptors fans may recall, Siakam was an integral part of their championship-winning team. The 2019 Finals MVP award ultimately went to Kawhi Leonard, but Siakam averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the series to help stun the Warriors.
However, despite his role in bringing the franchise its first NBA championship, the Raptors traded Siakam five years later. He was dealt at the 2024 trade deadline for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks.
Pascal Siakam's All-Star season with Pacers
Since joining the Pacers, Siakam's career has not skipped a beat with his new franchise. The Cameroonian was a big part of Indiana's 2024 Eastern Conference Finals run and has elevated his game in his first full season with the team. Through 53 games in 2024-2025, Siakam is averaging 20.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game to earn his way back into the NBA All-Star game.
Siakam will be the only Pacer at the 2025 All-Star game, much to the surprise of some. For the first time since 2022, Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton was not selected for the game. Haliburton's production dropped dramatically in 2024-2025, averaging just 17.8 points and 8.5 assists per game. While impressive numbers for most players, they are not on par with the standard he set for himself over the previous two years.
At the 2025 NBA All-Star break, the Pacers sit in fourth in the Eastern Conference. Their 30-23 record puts them on track for a similar finish as the year before, when they went 47-35 to earn the No. 6 seed in the East.
