<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-pascal-siakam-chet-holmgren-finals-rematch-ot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pascal Siakam cooks Chet Holmgren to send NBA Finals rematch to OT');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0243.jpeg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pascal Siakam cooks Chet Holmgren to send NBA Finals rematch to OT</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T19:31:07-07:00">October 23rd, 7:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T19:45:11-07:00">October 23rd, 7:45pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indiana Pacers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Opening week of the 2025-26 season continued on Thursday with an NBA Finals rematch between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-okc-nba-finals-rematch-vs-pacers-marred-by-injuries">several key players on both teams sidelined due to injury</a>, the game did live up to the hype. The Pacers managed to send the game into overtime as All-Star big man Pascal Siakam <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1981546405022904431" rel="noopener">hit a clutch jumper</a> over Thunder big man Chet Holmgren with just about six seconds remaining. The Thunder were unable to score on the following possession as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s shot came up short, ensuring an extra five minutes.</p><p>In the overtime period, it was another Pacer in Bennedict Mathurin who got to the basket to send to it to another overtime period. Pascal Siakam’s clutch fourth quarter jumper for the Pacers to initially send the game to overtime ended up being even more massive in retrospect.</p><p>The Pacers came into the game down both of their point guards in Tyrese Halliburton and TJ McConnell due to injury. During the game, Andrew Nembhard was ultimately ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Nembhard was expected to step in as the starting point guard in Haliburton’s absence.</p><p>But even with no available point guards, the Pacers still went toe-to-toe with the defending champs. But the Thunder were without key players as well. All-Star forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-left-active-roster-injury-timetable-unclear">Jalen Williams is dealing with a wrist injury </a>and has yet to make his season debut after offseason surgery. The Thunder were also without Cason Wallace who is dealing with a knee injury. Wallace played in the team’s opening night win against the Houston Rockets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pascal Siakam cooks Chet Holmgren to send NBA Finals rematch to OT

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-pascal-siakam-johnny-furphy-poster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam lose it after Johnny Furphy’s unreal poster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Tyrese-Haliburton-Pascal-Siakam-lose-it-after-Johnny-Furpys-unreal-poster.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam lose it after Johnny Furphy’s unreal poster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-12T07:20:25-07:00">October 12th, 7:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-12T07:20:25-07:00">October 12th, 7:20am</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indiana Pacers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Indiana Pacers rookie Johnny Furphy sent the internet into a frenzy with a jaw-dropping poster dunk, and even star guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-rick-carlisle-states-obvious-surviving-tyrese-haliburton">Tyrese Haliburton couldn’t help but lose it</a> on social media. The clip, an angle that makes the slam look otherworldly, quickly became the highlight of the preseason and dominated timelines. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This angle of Johnny Furphy's POSTER over Malevy Leons is INSANE 😱<a href="https://t.co/QK7Z3eUVKC">pic.twitter.com/QK7Z3eUVKC</a> <a href="https://t.co/RLJBmJ0d86">https://t.co/RLJBmJ0d86</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1977158536820892097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Furphy finished a fast break by soaring over Oklahoma City’s Malevy Leons and throwing down a chest-pounding dunk that left the crowd and his bench in hysterics. Teammates jumped out of their seats, and broadcasters called it a ‘Punch!’</p><p>Both Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, who were watching the game from the sidelines, stood up in utter shock. Siakam had his eyes wide open and looked away from the court in disbelief, while Haliburton just laughed it off.</p><p>This isn’t even the first time the Pacers have been hyped for a Furphy poster. The last time he got a poster in the Summer League, his <a href="https://x.com/Hali/status/1944893235798712415" rel="noopener">teammates were hyping him</a> up.</p><p>“Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeeesh.” Haliburton wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>But this time around, Haliburton got to see it in person, which made it even more special.</p><p>The dunk didn’t tell the whole story of Furphy’s night. He played limited minutes in the preseason contest and left later with an ankle issue, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-tj-mcconnell-hamstring-injury-2025-26-season">adding to the Pacers’ preseason injury issues</a>, but it reinforced why coaches rave about his athletic upside.</p><p>Furphy has flashed before; this poster just made the flashes impossible to ignore. Scouts and social-media sleuths quickly noted his timing, hang time, and fearlessness attacking the rim against a bigger defender.  </p><p>For the Pacers, the moment provided a jolt of excitement amid the grind of camp and preseason. Haliburton’s reaction was more than a meme; it signaled internal buy-in from a veteran who knows moments like this can spark confidence in a young player. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/why-kansas-johnny-furphy-decided-to-stay-in-2024-nba-draft">If Furphy can stay healthy and translate that athleticism</a> into consistent play, he could turn highlight-reel moments into real rotation minutes.  </p><p>For now, Johnny Furphy owns the internet, and Tyrese Haliburton and a host of NBA watchers have already signed off with a “sheeeeeesh.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam lose it after Johnny Furphy’s unreal poster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-reacts-pascal-siakam-embracing-captain-meme');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton reacts to Pascal Siakam embracing ‘captain’ meme');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pacers-Tyrese-Haliburton-Pacers-Pascal-Siakam.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton reacts to Pascal Siakam embracing ‘captain’ meme</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-20T11:24:21-07:00">August 20th, 11:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-20T11:24:21-07:00">August 20th, 11:24am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indiana Pacers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After Indiana Pacers guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-fires-up-fans-with-post-achilles-surgery-first">Tyrese Haliburton posted an update on his recovery</a> from a ruptured Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, he posted commented on All-Star Pascal Siakam’s social media, embracing a popular meme. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-tyrese-haliburton-missing-hoops-message">Haliburton undoubtedly misses playing basketball amid injury</a>. He isn’t close to playing anytime soon but did recently lace them up as a critical step in the direction of playing again.</p><p>In the meantime, Siakam will take the wheel as the Eastern Conference champion Pacers’ leader in 2025-26, thus Pascal had fun with his Captain Phillips-inspired post, embracing the meme he was often photoshopped to amid Haliburton’s injury. Siakam posted a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNisLosNPHq/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1" rel="noopener">picture of himself driving a boat</a> on his Instagram.</p><p>“Fine, I’m the captain now,” Siakam said, to which Haliburton replied, “bout time,” acompanied by three crying-laughing emojis in the comments.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNisLosNPHq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNisLosNPHq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Pascal Siakam (@pskills43)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Haliburton’s comments hilariously pokes fun at Siakam taking the popular memes of him in stride, fittingly, ahead of a 2025-26 campaign where the Pacers will return most likely without Tyrese all season long. After losing starting center Myles Turner, who agreed to a three-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, in free agency, the Pacers signed free agent James Wiseman.</p><p>Head coach Rick Carlisle and the Pacers will look to build off their NBA Finals appearance in Haliburton’s absence next season.</p><h2><b>Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton’s message about missing hoops</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pacers-Tyrese-Haliburton.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After losing Tyrese Haliburton in the first half of Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder, Pacers fans will always wonder “What if,” regarding their team’s chances of winning a title. Pushing the Thunder to the brink, Haliburton, amidst a right calf strain, led the Pacers to an inspring 108-91 blowout win in Game 6 to force a do-or-die matchup at the Paycom Center.</p><p>After scoring nine points in seven minutes, Haliburton suffered a ruptured Achilles and is expected to miss the 2025-26 campaign. While rehabbing throughout the summer, Haliburton <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1953295085514231928" rel="noopener">posted a three-worded message</a> that evoked the kind of emotional response that truly resonated with Pacers fans, on his Instagram.</p><p>“I miss baseketball”</p><p>Pacers guards Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, and veteran T.J. McConnell, will most likely take on increased roles in the backcourt for head coach Rick Carlisle. Back-up point guard Johnny Furphy could also be in line for an increased role as the aforementioned guards have already established themselves as part of Carlisle’s rotation over the past two seasons with an opporutnity to take on more on the horizon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton reacts to Pascal Siakam embracing ‘captain’ meme

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/indiana-pacers/pascal-siakam-nearly-turned-down-nba-to-become-priest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ Pascal Siakam nearly turned down the NBA to become a priest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pascal-Siakam.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pacers’ Pascal Siakam nearly turned down the NBA to become a priest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-03T11:17:46-07:00">July 3rd, 11:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-03T11:17:46-07:00">July 3rd, 11:17am</time><address><a>Derick Quinanola</a>With a proficient background in basketball, NFL, and football, Derick Quinanola uses his knowledge to write blogs for readers that are both entertaining and informative. He has been writing with ClutchPoints for years and has developed an understanding of the type of content fans resonate with.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Evergreen</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Indiana Pacers star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/pacers-news-pascal-siakam-reflects-on-indiana-environment-after-failed-game-7-mission">Pascal Siakam has built an impressive NBA resume</a> ever since he got drafted in 2016. He’s an All-Star, an NBA champion, and has made over <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/20232/pascalsiakam" rel="noopener">$180 million</a> in contract earnings. However, if he never had a change of heart 16 years ago, Siakam would’ve never even considered playing basketball.</p><h2><b>Siakam was sent to seminary school when he was 11 to become a priest</b></h2><p>Growing up in Douala, Cameroon, basketball was on the radar for Siakam. His three older brothers had blazed the trail, all earning D1 scholarships in the U.S. Boris played at Western Kentucky University. Christian played at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Meanwhile, James played at Vanderbilt University.</p><p>Naturally, Siakam figured he’d follow in their footsteps, especially since his father had always dreamt about having one of his sons make the NBA.</p><p>However, what Siakam didn’t know was that his father had other plans for him. At 11, he was hand-picked to embody his family’s Catholicism, as per a 2020 article from <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23396205/nba-pascal-siakam-6000-mile-journey-raptors-stardom?ex_cid=DSS-Affiliate-Impact-Content-Business%2BInsider.-531511" rel="noopener">ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan</a>. He was enrolled at St. Andrew’s Seminary and Siakam entered with good spirits… At first.</p><p>“I would never go against his wishes,” Siakam said. “There isn’t a better man I’ve known in my life.”</p><p>By the time he was 15, Siakam felt a desire to pursue something else. He began acting out, skipping classes, and pushing boundaries. He wasn’t a troublemaker by nature; he just didn’t want to be a priest anymore.</p><p>Seminary director Father Armel Collins Ndjama knew exactly what Siakam was trying to do. However, since his <a href="https://ucatholic.com/blog/meet-pascal-siakam-from-seminarian-to-nba-champion/" rel="noopener">academic results were too good</a>, he decided to keep him around.</p><p>Siakam graduated to finish what he initially came there to do, then left the seminary right after.</p><h2><b>Pacers’ Pascal Siakam was discovered at Luc Mbah a Moute’s basketball camp</b></h2><p>Despite growing up in a family that cherished the game of basketball, Siakam first wanted to pursue soccer. Everything changed in 2011 when he tagged along with some of his childhood friends to see what former NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute’s free basketball camps were like, aka the same basketball camp Joel Embiid was discovered.</p><p>By virtue of having three brothers play in the NCAA, Siakam automatically got a spot to one of the camps. He wasn’t good, but he did show two things that can’t be taught. Physical tools — standing at 6-foot-8 — and immense hustle.</p><p>After another year of attending the camps, Siakam was invited to Basketball Without Borders. That’s where scouts really started to take notice.</p><p>From there, it was a whirlwind. He moved to Texas to play for God’s Academy, then committed to New Mexico State in 2013. In his sophomore year, Siakam averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds, earning WAC Player of the Year honors.</p><p>By 2016, Siakam applied for the NBA draft and was taken by the Toronto Raptors with the 27th pick of the draft.</p><h2><b>How has Pascal Siakam’s NBA career panned out thus far?</b></h2><p>Since then, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-how-pascal-siakam-6-year-journey-paved-road-to-nba-finals">Siakam has become one of the most underappreciated stars in the league</a>. In nine seasons, Siakam has more than exceeded his initial draft position, winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors and recently reaching the NBA Finals again with the Pacers in 2024-25.</p><ul><li>NBA champion (2019)</li><li>Most Improved Player of the Year (2019)</li><li>Three-time All-Star</li><li>Two-time All-NBA</li><li>First G-Leaguer to start in an All-Star Game</li><li>2025 Eastern Conference Playoff MVP</li></ul><p>Not too bad for someone who only started playing basketball 14 years ago.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers’ Pascal Siakam nearly turned down the NBA to become a priest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-noa-essengue-pascal-siakam-comparison');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Noa Essengue draws Pascal Siakam comparison');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Chicago-Bulls-forward-Noa-Essengue.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bulls’ Noa Essengue draws Pascal Siakam comparison</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T13:44:06-07:00">June 26th, 1:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T13:44:06-07:00">June 26th, 1:44pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls selected <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/grading-chicago-bulls-noa-essengue-2025-nba-draft-pick">Noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the NBA Draft</a>. Essengue, who spent last season playing in the EuroCup and BBL, was one of the youngest players in this year’s draft class. After his arrival to Chicago, one scout had high praise for the 18-year-old, comparing him to Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/2025-nba-mock-draft-5-0-76ers-hornets-ace-bailey-destiny-latest-intel">Essengue was projected to be picked at No. 10</a> in ClutchPoints’ NBA Insider Brett Siegel’s latest mock draft. Instead, the prospect fell two spots to the Bulls. He joins a young core featuring players like Coby White, Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, and 2024 lottery pick Matas Buzelis.</p><p>CHSN Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson spoke with NBA scouts about Essengue leading up to the draft. According to him, one scout said that Siakam is a <a href="https://x.com/CHSN_Bulls/status/1938325592488751187" rel="noopener">“high end”</a> comparison for what the French forward could become.</p><p>While Chicago fans hope that the comparison ends up coming true, they could have to wait a while. Siakam took multiple years to develop before blossoming into a star in Indiana. For now, Essengue joins Buzelis and Williams as long-term projects for the Bulls’ development team.</p><p>Chicago’s general manager, Marc Eversley, <a href="https://x.com/CHSN_Bulls/status/1938283510323630577" rel="noopener">is excited to welcome</a> Essengue to Chicago and begin working with him.</p><p>“He[Essengue] certainly fits the way we want to play,” Eversley said. “But when you’re picking at No. 12, we made the decision internally that we’re going to pick the best player available. It’s twofold; best player available, and he fits the style of play that we want to play.”</p><p>Essengue’s new teammates are also happy to have him join the team. Williams appeared on the <i>By The Horns </i>podcast with Johnson to <a href="https://x.com/CHSN_Bulls/status/1938263263591993561" rel="noopener">speak about the pick</a>.</p><p>“I’m loving the pick,” Williams said. “I’m excited. I think he’ll fit right in with exactly what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play, so it’ll be fun.”</p><p>Siakam helped lead the Pacers all the way to the NBA Finals this season. Chicago’s aspirations are not quite that ambitious, but fans can’t wait to see what Essengue can bring to the table in his rookie season.</p><p>On a team with young players like White and Buzelis, the newest member of the Bulls has a chance to lead the team into a new era.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.0	10.3	6.0	0.3	1.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.0	10.3	6.0	0.3	1.3

Pascal Siakam

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Pacers’ Pascal Siakam nearly turned down the NBA to become a priest

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