Pascal Siakam is a two-time NBA All-Star who has done a lot of great work off the court.
He is the founder of the PS4 Foundation, which is a registered charity that finds unique ways to make a difference in the lives of children globally.
Siakam recently paid a surprise visit to Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School in Rexdale.
He surprised students during an event for data science program Data Dunkers for kids grades 5 to 12.
This was an event that Siakam’s PS43 Foundation collaborated on with Dell Technologies, Callysto and Digital Movement.
Siakam spent his time shooting some hoops with the kids and speaking to the students from the program. The program uses basketball stats to teach kids about data analytics and how to use them in real life.
Siakam weighed in on why he supports data science being taught in schools via The Toronto Star:
“I believe technology is the future. And I think our kids are the future also, and we’ve got to continue to equip them with tools that’s going to help them not only in their lives but in anything they want to do.”
The event was one hour long and it included Siakam rebounding and catching missed shots from students between the ages of 12 and 16. The students created a data set on shorts attempted from two, four, six, eight and ten feet away. This must have been a very cool experience for the students.
Siakam continues to do big things on and off the court.
All-Star voting officially opens up
NBA All-Star voting presented by AT&T kicked off on Dec. 19 and runs until Jan. 20. Fans are able to vote on the All-Star Game starters via the NBA App and NBA.com with NBA ID, the league’s global membership program.
Raptors fans can vote for their favourite players. Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes are expected to get a lot of votes. Siakam is looking to make his third All-Star game appearance, meanwhile Barnes is trying to make his first ever All-Star Game appearance.
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