It’s been an eventful year and a half for Pascal Siakam since his time with the Raptors came to an end, and though he didn’t come away with an NBA championship, he knows he’s in a much better place now than he was back then.

The star Indiana Pacers forward spoke about his time in Indiana after the tough 103-91 defeat in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday and opened up about his basketball story, explaining that his love for the game has come back in a big way since joining the franchise.

“Couple years ago, I think basketball was just, kind of dark for me. It was not fun at all. And I got traded here and these guys, they just gave me a boost — starting with Ty(rese) obviously — just playing with these guys has been so incredible,” Siakam explained after the loss. “Just finding my joy for the game.”

Siakam joined the Pacers ahead of the trade deadline in the 2023-24 season, ending an eight-year spell in Toronto after being drafted by the Raptors 27th overall in 2016 and winning a championship with them in 2019.

Though there wasn’t much drama surrounding his departure in the moment, the end of his time in Toronto felt inevitable with the team looking to re-focus more around a young core centred around forward Scottie Barnes.

“Just playing with so much swagger and happiness, that’s all I want to do as a player, man. I lost that for a while and it’s just so incredible that I came to a team with these guys,” Siakam said.

“I didn’t think this was possible because of the situation I was in, and just to see how amazing we did this year and all the things that we accomplished, obviously there’s no moral victory because we want to win and we thought we did a lot to put ourselves in a position to win and it sucks, but I’m super proud of everyone.”

The 31-year-old three-time All-Star added that the pairing with guard Tyrese Haliburton, in particular, has been a special source of joy for him, saying that he’s “one of the big reasons I’m here,” and that he “made it super fun for me to be here.”

Haliburton suffered an unfortunate right leg injury in the opening minutes of Game 7, bringing his night to an early end at the most inopportune time possible.

Despite that, the Pacers fought tooth and nail to stick in the winner-take-all showdown, heading into half-time with a one-point lead. Despite the Thunder pulling away in the third and fourth, the Pacers rallied in the final frame to make fans in the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City sweat just a bit more.

Siakam ended his night with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in a team-high 36 minutes of action.

It was a season for the ages for Siakam and the Pacers — upsetting teams every step of the way — and it culminated in near-glory for a franchise and roster that knows how to have fun. That’s something Siakam has been able to find solace in after the heartbreak of defeat.

“I really do love these guys and I’m super appreciative of the opportunity to be here. It kinda gave me that joy for the game again. I’m super grateful for that.”