Ugereranyije n’igihe yayitangiriye n’aho ageze ubu biratangaje. Ku myaka 25 ubu, ‘saison’ ishize ya NBA niwe watowe nk’umukinnyi wazamuye urwego rwe cyane kurusha abandi.
Yagize uruhare rukomeye mu gutuma ikipe ya Totonto Raptors itwara igikombe cya mbere cyayo cya NBA.
Inzira yamugejejeyo si isanzwe. Yavukiye i Douala umurwa mukuru w’ubucuruzi wa Cameroun, yize mu iseminari ya St André iri mu mujyi muto witwa Bafia aho yatozwaga kuzaba umupadiri.
Ku ishuri, urugendo rw’amasaha umunani n’imodoka uvuye iwabo, ku ishuri batozwa ikinyabupfura gikomeye cya kiliziya, Siakam ntabwo buri gihe yumvaga ari byiza muri ubu buzima, ariko byafashije kumugira uwo ari we.
Aho yasoreje umwaka ushize niho yatangiriye ‘saison’ nshya yitwara neza mu ikipe ye. Ati: “Hariya ibintu byabaga bigomba kuba uko biteganyijwe. Igihe najyagayo hari ibintu byinshi ntari nzi gukora. Rwose byanyigishije kuba umugabo. Gufata inshingano no kwiyitaho, ibyo niho nabyigiye”.
Imyaka irindwi yamaze mu Iseminari, basketball ntiyigeze iba mu mahitamo ye. Kubyuka buri munsi saa kumi n’imwe no kwita cyane ku masomo n’amasengesho nibyo byari iby’ibanze.
Ababyeyi be babonaga umwana wabo azahitamo kujya mu gipadiri. Gusa Siakam we siko yabibonaga.
Ati: “Iyo hafi ya kiliziya ukora ibyayo buri munsi niko bimera. Data byageze aho yibaza ko ari byo nifuza kuzakora ariko ntabwo wari umuhamagaro wanjye”.
Umuhamagaro we waje kuba umukino yahoraga yirinda gukina mu buzima bwe.
Mu 2011, Siakam yajyanye na bagenzi be muri ‘camp’ yateguwe n’umukinnyi w’umunyakameruni wakinaga muri NBA Luc Mbah a Moute.
Mbah a Moute w’imyaka 33 aracyakina muri NBA kuva muri ‘saison’ 10 zishize, ariko buri mwaka ajya iwabo muri izi ‘camp’ zo gushaka impano ateza imbere.
Ibi byanafashije undi musore wo muri Cameroun kugera muri NBA – Joel Embiid, nawe w’imyaka 25 ubu ukina mu ikipe ya Philadelphia 76ers.
Nubwo yari atarakina basketball mu buryo buteguye, Siakam wari ufite imyaka 17 imbaraga ze n’umuhate mu kurushanwa byatumye bamutumira muri ‘camp’ yisumbuyeho yabereye muri Afurika y’Epfo.
“Byari bikomeye cyane kuri njye. Abatoza bo muri NBA nahahuriye nabo bamfunguye amaso mbona indi si nari ntarabona mbere” – Siakam.
Arakomeza ati: “Numvise ari nkaho mbonye amahirwe yo kujya muri Amerika gukina. Kwiga neza…Byari inzozi.”
Gukina muri NBA kugeza ubu ariko ntabyo byari mu byo ateganya, nyamara hari abagendaga babona ko afite impano ikomeye.
Masai Ujiri perezida wa Toronto Raptors wahuriye nawe muri Afurika y’Epfo icyo gihe ati: “Yari umuhungu unanutse cyane, ariko wabonaga ko afite impano, ari muremure kandi akunze umukino”.
Ujiri ni umugabo wemerwa cyane muri NBA kubera uburyo aherutse kuzamura ikipe ya Raptors akayigeza kure.
Afite kandi imishinga nk’iyi yo guha amahirwe abana bafite impano muri uyu mukino mu mushinga we Giants of Africa uca mu bihugu binyuranye bya Afurika no mu Rwanda.
Ntibari bazi ko mu gihe gito gusa azavamo umukinnyi ukomeye. Birumvikana ko bahura bwa mbere muri Afurika y’Epfo Ujiri atari azi ko uyu mwana mu myaka ine iri imbere ari we azahitamo (muri NBA Draft) ngo aze gukinira Raptors.
Ati:”Wabonaga gusa azi guhatana kandi ashaka gutsinda. Kubona umwana umeze nkawe ku myaka ye icyo gihe biba bihagije. Niyo umubona akina uyu munsi ubona gutsinda muri we.”
Siakam ati: “Sinjye warushaga abandi ariko narihanganaga cyane, nari mfite muri njye kutananirwa no gukora cyane uko byaba bimeze kose.
“Ndi umukinnyi. Ikintu cyose kirimo kwiruka, gusimbuka nishimiraga kugikora, ubwo rero basketball yari indyoheye”.
Mu 2012 bakuru be babiri bo bari baramaze kubona amahirwe yo kujya kwiga muri Amerika. Murumuna wabo nawe yari mu nzira nziza.
Imbaraga ze no kwihambira kucyo akunda byashimishije abashakisha impano bavuye muri Amerika bari baje muri Afurika y’Epfo kureba ahateraniye urubyiruko ruvuye ahanyuranye muri Afurika.
Bamuhaye amahirwe yo kujya kurangiriza amashuri yisumbuye muri Lewisville. Ku myaka 18 ubu, yagombaga gusiga ubuzima bwe inyuma agafata ubundi bushya.
“Kuva muri Cameroun ajya muri Texas, ni impinduka. Kwiga icyongereza, umuco, ibintu byose byari bitandukanye rero nagombaga kumenyera” – Siakam.
Arakomeza ati: “Ariko nari naratojwe gukora byose nkiri muto, ntabwo byangoye cyane.
Ari mu bafashije cyane Raptors gutwara igikombe. Arangije amashuri yisumbuye, Siakam yabonye ‘bourse’ yo kwiga muri New Mexico State University kubera basketball.
Ubwo yari aho, mu kwezi kwa 10/2014 ibyago byaraje. Papa we Tchamo yaguye mu mpanuka y’imodoka iwabo muri Cameroun. Ibintu byose yakoraga mu kibuga imbaraga yaziterwaga na se wamuteraga akanyabugabo.
Ati: “Data yaravunitse arera abana batandatu, yarakoze cyane kugira ngo tubone ibyo twari dukeneye byose. Yari afite ibyifuzo none nishimira ko nabisohoje ubu. Iyaba yari akiriho ngo abibone”.
Siakam yavuye muri kaminuza ya New Mexico ahamaze imyaka ibiri muri ‘college basketball’ nubwo nyamara yari amaze imyaka ine gusa akina basketball bihoraho, yavuye hano ariwe mukinnyi warushije abandi iburengerazuba.
Gusa nanone, hari ababonaga ko kumuhitamo ngo yinjire muri NBA mu 2016 ari nko kwigerezaho.
Masai Ujiri ati: “Umwe mu badushakira abakinnyi, Patrick Engelbrecht, yarambwiye ati ‘uriya muhungu umugumisheho ijisho’.
Yanjyanye no kumureba ishuro zimwe na zimwe. Muri iyo myaka ukomeza kureba abakinnyi uba warashimye ureba uko bazamuka”.
Siakam yazamutse mu maso ya Ujiri ku buryo yahise amuhitamo muri Draft ya 2016, nibwo urugendo rwe na Raptors rwatangiye.
Jama Mahlalela, umutoza mukuru wa Raptors yamutoje umwaka wa mbere muri NBA aho yamusimburanyaga mu ikipe nkuru n’ikipe ya ‘reserve’, avuga ko atigeze amutenguha kuva mu ntangiriro.
Ati: “Tujya tuvuga abakinnyi batagira umwanya bakinaho. Abakinnyi badakora ikintu kimwe gusa. Uwo ni Pascal. Ashobora gukina imyanya yose, uwo ni umuntu w’impano ikomeye.
“N’ubu ntiyemera aho ageze, ahora yifuza kurushaho no gushaka kuba undi mukinnyi ejo hazaza”.
Mu birori bya NBA muri uyu mwakac yahembwe nk’umukinnyi wazamutse vuba kurusha abandi. Iyi ‘saison’ iri gukinwa ni iya kane kuri Siakam muri Raptors yo muri Canada. Bivugwa ko muri NBA utatwara igikombe udafite umukinnyi ukomeye cyane (Super Star).
Nyuma y’imikino ya Play-off batsindwaga, Ujiri yakoze ibyashidikanywagaho agurisha umukinnyi ukomeye cyane DeMar DeRozan ngo abone undi nkawe ariko utamerewe neza, Kawhi Leonard.
Byari ugufata ‘risks’ ariko byatanze umusaruro, bigaragara ko Leonard wenyine asa nuwagejeje Raptors ku gikombe. Ariko ubu yahise ajya mu ikipe ya LA Clippers bituma basigara nta mukinnyi ukomeye cyane bafite.
Siakam biboneka ko ari we musimbura. Aherutse guhabwa amasezerano ya miliyoni $130 mu myaka ine, kumuvana ku rwego rw’umukinnyi usanzwe akaba ‘Super Star’ byarangiye.
Mahlalela ati: “Gutwara igikombe biha umuntu ikizere, ariko noneho Pascal we ni umuntu usanzwe ukigira cyane. Tumwitezeho byinshi”.
Siakam aheruka gusubira muri Cameroun bwa mbere mu myaka irindwi mu kiruhuko gishize ubwo yatahanyeyo igikombe cya NBA akakijyana muri camp ya Giants of Africa ya Masai Ujiri.
Ati: “Kuba uri kumwe na bariya bana bafite inzozi zo kugera aho ndi ubu wabashyiriye igikombe bashobora gufataho, byari ibintu binshimishije bikomeye.
“Ubwo njye nariho nkura, ntabwo nagize ayo mahirwe yo kubona ibintu nk’ibyo. Nifuje kuyaha abandi”.
Nubwo yateye imbere – kuva ku mwana wagombaga kubyuka saa kumi n’imwe akajya mu masengesho mu iseminari ubu akaba ari Super Star w’agaciro ka miliyoni z’amadorari mu gihe gito – Siakam aracyari umuntu uciye bugufi nk’umwana wo mu iseminari.