Pascal Siakam's Farewell To The City Of Toronto And Raptors Fans Will Hit You Right In The Feels

Adam Hunger. Getty Images.

Now that the dust has settled and Pascal Siakam is officially a member of the Indiana Pacers, there was only one thing left for us to get before we could finally close the book on this chapter of his basketball life was get his farewell message. While these things happen all the time and most of the time it's just PR, when it comes to the franchise cornerstone players I tend to put way more stock into what they say/write. 

In the case of Pascal Siakam, it's hard to not get a little emotional watching his farewell to the city of Toronto and Raptors fans everywhere

I'm not even a Raptors fan nor do I really give a shit how they do, and even I felt that so I can only imagine what it feels like for Raptors fans to watch that video. I remember what it felt like to see Pierce/KG traded to the Nets in 2013, two players that gifted me the only Celts title I've ever seen with my own two eyes and it was one of the most emotional moments in my life. I understood why it had to happen, but it hurt like hell. I cried like a baby sitting in the Garden when they made their first return to Boston, and I sure as shit wasn't alone

I would guess things are similar for Raptors fans. While he may not go down as "the greatest Raptor ever", Siakam was a big part of why the Raptors won their only title. He's 5th all time in games played, 5th all time in points and assists, while being 3rd in rebounds. That's certainly nothing to sneeze at. As we know, when you win an NBA title you immediately become a legend in that city, but when it's the first one ever? That creates a connection between the player and a fanbase that you truly can't replicate. If the Raptors ever win another title, it won't be the same as that first one. That's just how it works.

Hearing Siakam talk about how he thought he would be a Raptor forever, would have broken me as a fan. Shit, it broke me when I heard Marcus Smart say it and he never won a title in Boston. Even though it's extremely rare nowadays that a player plays their whole career with one franchise, I wouldn't fault Raptors fans if they thought maybe Siakam could be that for them. While you may hear that line a lot after someone gets traded, with certain guys it's definitely believable and for me, Siakam is one of those players.

When you watch a player grow over 8 years from a late first round pick to an NBA champion, it's only natural that you become attached. Siakam was the Toronto Raptors and the Raptors were Siakam for this era in their history. Once that finally ends, it's emotional for everyone. 

And hey, it's not like the Raptors didn't set themselves up to be OK during this rebuild/retool phase, but worrying about that is for another time. For right now, it's about celebrating one of the best players the franchise has ever had, and someone who clearly had an attachment to that city like only a handful of Raptors (DeRozan, Lowry) have ever had.