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Pacers' Pascal Siakam Reacts to Viral Bizarre Eye Clip

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Sam Garcia | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers’ championship run was on the line in the Game 6 elimination game of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder one win away from claiming the NBA title, the Pacers needed all hands on deck to keep their hopes of a championship alive.

Indiana prayed together in a huddle before the game, and a rather haunting sight was caught on camera in the midst of a heartfelt moment between the team.

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While his teammates bowed their heads during the prayer, two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam had his face directed toward the ceiling with his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Many people joked that Siakam looked possessed. The 31-year-old responded to the viral photo explaining that his eyes sometimes stay open even when he thinks he has them closed.

"I have this problem where like I can't really close my eyes. Sometimes I be thinking that I'm closing my eyes, but they're not really closed,” Siakam said in a press conference on Saturday. “It feels like I'm thinking and my eyes just go up. I gotta do better"

Pascal on his viral moment: "I have this problem where like I can't really close my eyes. Sometimes I be thinking that I'm closing my eyes, but they're not really closed. It feels like I'm thinking and my eyes just go up. I gotta do better" https://t.co/uXATteGUc7 pic.twitter.com/Wqd62iHHUR
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 21, 2025

He went on to demonstrate how he often manually closes his eyes with his hands to ensure they are fully closed.

“I’m glad people are enjoying it and having fun with it,” Siakam said about the jokes people have made online about the viral photo.

Siakam spent the most time on the court for the Pacers in Game 6, putting up 16 points, three assists and a team-leading 13 rebounds.

The Pacers may be on their way to their first NBA championship in franchise history. But Siakam has accomplished the feat before when he won his first NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

Unlike this year’s NBA Finals that will require all seven games to be played, the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games in the 2019 Finals.

Indiana will play against Oklahoma City in the championship game at Paycom Center on Sunday at 8 pm ET.

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This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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