Chris Silva

Chris Silva Obame Correia Silva (born September 19, 1996) is a Gabonese professional basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, on assignment from the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Chris Silva
Silva at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April 2019
No. 30 – Miami Heat
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1996-09-19) September 19, 1996
Libreville, Gabon
NationalityGabonese
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High schoolRoselle Catholic
(Roselle, New Jersey)
CollegeSouth Carolina (2015–2019)
NBA draft2019 / Undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentMiami Heat
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-SEC (2018)
  • First-team All-SEC – Coaches (2019)
  • SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year (2018)
  • SEC All-Defensive team (2018)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

In 2012, when Silva was 16 years old, he took four different airplane flights to reach the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City from Gabon. He knew no English at the time and had no experience playing organized basketball. When he drew interest from Roselle Catholic High School assistant basketball coach Tommy Sacks, he said, "Coach, I go to NBA." Sacks later commented, "His ceiling is so high, one of the highest I've ever seen, because all he wants to do is get better. He wants to live in the weight room. He wants to run on his own. He wants to work out. He wants to get shots up."[1]

High school career

Initially, with the Roselle Catholic basketball team, Silva was not aware of the rules of the game. In his senior season, his team won the state championship. Silva drew interest from college basketball programs such as Seton Hall and Rhode Island, and eventually signed with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Silva said, "That's a great school, great coaches. I like everything about it, the education, the support they give to players after their career—everything."[2]

College career

In 2017 Silva started all 37 games on the Gamecocks team that reached the Final Four. In 2018 Silva won SEC Co-Defensive player of the year, was First-team All-SEC and was named to the All-Defensive team. He averaged 14.3 points and 8 rebounds per game as a junior and shot 46.7 percent from the floor. Following the season he declared for the NBA draft but did not hire an agent. Silva was not invited to the NBA combine and decided to return to South Carolina.[3]

Professional career

Miami Heat (2019–present)

Silva was signed by the Miami Heat on July 11, 2019.[4] On October 19, the Heat converted his deal to a two-way contract with their NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.[5] On October 23, Silva made his NBA debut, coming off the bench in a 120–101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, and three blocks.[6] On January 15, 2020, Silva signed a standard NBA contract with the Heat.[7] The contract lasts until the 2021-2022 season. On January 23, Silva was assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce.[8] On January 26, Silva was brought back up to the Miami Heat.

National team career

On June 11, 2015, Silva was named to the Gabon national basketball team's preliminary squad for the AfroBasket 2015 by head coach Thierry Bouanga. It was considered a possibility that he would debut alongside ex-NBA player Stéphane Lasme. Silva would participate in a three-week training camp in Libreville in July.[9]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 South Carolina 32613.3.482—.6094.5.2.4.95.4
2016–17 South Carolina 373720.9.524.000.7496.1.4.61.410.2
2017–18 South Carolina 333325.8.467.417.7538.01.2.61.414.3
2018–19 South Carolina 323226.7.508.500.7447.6.9.91.915.2
Career 13410821.7.497.475.7296.5.7.61.411.3

References
  1. Schneider, Jeremy. "From Gabon to T of C glory: The basketball journey of Roselle Catholic's Chris Silva". NJ.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  2. Braziller, Zach. "The NJ hoops star from Africa: The Chris Silva saga". New York Post. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  3. Hines, Travis (May 21, 2018). "Chris Silva returning to South Carolina for senior season". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  4. "HEAT Signs Martin and Silva". NBA.com. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  5. "HEAT Convert Silva To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. October 19, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  6. "Butler misses Miami debut, Heat beat Grizzlies 120-101". ESPN.com. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  7. "Chris Silva Earns NBA Contract". NBA.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  8. Winderman, Ira (January 23, 2020). "Heat send Chris Silva to G League for seasoning". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  9. "College prospect Silva highlights Gabon's preliminary squad". FIBA. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
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