Former Raptor Pascal Siakam awarded honourary degree from UNB for education work

More than 30 middle school-aged kids sat on wooden benches inside a gym in Gagetown, a tiny New Brunswick village about 60 kilometres away from the capital city of Fredericton.

They gathered to present their work analyzing basketball statistics and learning about the world of data science in the process.

What they didn't know is that NBA star Pascal Siakam would be joining them in the gym, sporting an "Education is Freedom" t-shirt and ready to listen to what they'd learned about how to use open data.

The students were part of the Indiana Pacers forward's Data Dunkers program, a partnership between his PS43 Foundation and Dell Technologies that sees Grade 5 to 12 students learn about data analysis through basketball.

His appearance — a real-life pro basketball player, and part of one of Canada's great sporting moments with the 2019 championship Toronto Raptors team — left many of the kids star-struck.

"It's turned into one of the best days of my life," 11-year-old Acacia Mallery, a big Toronto Raptors fan, said about her second day of Grade 6.

WATCH | How NBA star Pascal Siakam wants to inspire New Brunswick youth:

Former Toronto Raptor Pascal Siakam surprised students at Gagetown School, about 60 km southwest of Fredericton, hours before receiving an honorary degree from the University of New Brunswick in the capital. Siakam, who now plays for the Indiana Pacers, helped the Raptors win the NBA championship in 2019.

Later that day, Siakam received an honourary degree from the University of New Brunswick, where his foundation has sponsored scholarships for students from Siakam's home country, Cameroon, to study at the province's largest university.

"[Honorary degrees] recognize leadership," Paul Mazerolle, UNB president's and vice-chancellor, said. "They recognize special people doing special things. He fits that bill for us."

But a few hours before he received the honour on Wednesday, Siakam could hear his late father's voice in his head.

"Obviously he loved basketball and hoped that I could accomplish a dream of being in the NBA, but I think more than that, he wanted me to continue to get my education," Siakam said.

"I'm super grateful. It's an exciting moment not only for myself, but my family as well."

Growing up, Siakam's father, Tchamo Siakam, always stressed the importance of education. Basketball won't last forever, but no one can take away your education, he told him. It became the most important thing to his son.

His father passed away in 2014 when his son was at college in the United States, far away from his family.

When the students in Gagetown asked Siakam on Wednesday about his biggest challenge, he talked about losing his father.

"The biggest inspiration of my life passed away," Siakam told the kids. "It was super hard. I just had to find a different purpose. It changed my life and my career for the better just because from that day on, I was playing for my dad. I had a purpose. I was doing everything that I could to make him proud."

Two years later, Siakam was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA draft.

That city, and Canada, shaped him, too. It's where he won a championship with the Raptors in 2019, a moment he described as the proudest of his career so far, knowing what the title meant to the whole country.

WATCH | Raptors fans surprised Siakam for his return to Toronto:

Beyond basketball, Canada is where he grew up.

"I took my driver's license here," Siakam said. "It feels like home"

It's where he created his PS43 Foundation, named not just for his jersey number, but also for the four men and three women in his family. The goal was to honour his father by providing young people access to education, the value that was so important to him.

Siakam was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after a regular-season all star nod, before losing the championship to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder.

Even though his career has taken him to Indiana, Siakam wanted to make sure he kept roots and connections to Canada through his foundation.

Much of that work had been in Toronto. Siakam had never been to New Brunswick.

And then he met former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna.

Siakam's foundation had been looking to expand and contribute beyond Toronto. McKenna told Siakam about his home province, and over lunch, a connection was made.

"When I heard there was a huge community of Cameroonians here, I just felt like, man, this is kind of perfect, having the opportunity to give back to my community, but also to Canada," Siakam said.

The River Philip Foundation and the McKenna Institute, along with Siakam's PS43 Foundation, established a $200,000 tech-focused scholarship to UNB for students from Cameroon. So far, the money has helped Cameroonian students come to New Brunswick to study chemical engineering and computer science.

"For them, it's a game changer," Mazerolle from UNB said.

The visit to New Brunswick to accept his honourary degree and meet the students in Gagetown was Siakam's first trip to the Maritime province. His first impression? It's peaceful.

"This is my favourite thing to do ever," Siakam said about travelling. "To come to new places is always exciting."

Gagetown might be a world away from Douala, Cameroon, where Siakam grew up. But he knows a quick visit and a brush with an idol, whether it's an answering a question or a quick high five, can have a big impact.

Inside the gym, he thought back to attending a Basketball Without Borders camp as a teenager in South Africa. For the first time, he saw NBA players.

"It changed my whole mindset about wanting to be in the NBA," he told reporters on Wednesday. "It just gave me a different perspective that I think helped me shape the person I am today. That's what I'm hoping to do."