Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka says he is “so thankful” to be playing in his second career NBA Finals.

Ibaka played in the 2012 Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC lost to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. The Thunder never got back to the Finals with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka again.

The 29-year-old big man was traded in the summer of 2016 to the Orlando Magic, who then shipped him to the Raptors at the 2017 February trade deadline. Obviously, after his journey bouncing on different teams since his last Finals appearance, Ibaka is excited for the opportunity to play on the biggest stage again.

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“Man, after seven years, it seemed like most people thought it was over for me,” Ibaka told Alex Wong of Yahoo Sports Canada at practice on Tuesday. “But I always believed. I always put in the work. A lot of guys in the league have never seen the NBA Finals. This is my second time. I am so thankful.”

In the 2019 playoffs, Ibaka is averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Raptors, who have home court advantage in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Ibaka is shooting shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 21.9 percent from beyond the arc and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line.

The Thunder won only one game in the 2012 Finals. Ibaka is hoping this time around, things will go differently.