Chris Silva

Not to be confused with Cris Silva.

Chris Silva

Silva at the 2019 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
No. 30–Bnei Herzliya
Position	Power forward
League	Israeli Basketball Premier League
Personal information
Born	(1996-09-19) September 19, 1996 (age 28) Libreville, Gabon
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school	Roselle Catholic (Roselle, New Jersey)
College	South Carolina (2015–2019)
NBA draft	2019: undrafted
Playing career	2019–present
Career history
2019–2021	Miami Heat
2020	→Sioux Falls Skyforce
2021	Sacramento Kings
2021	Iowa Wolves
2021	Minnesota Timberwolves
2021–2022	Miami Heat
2022	Iowa Wolves
2022–2023	College Park Skyhawks
2023	Dallas Mavericks
2023–2024	College Park Skyhawks
2024	Piratas de Quebradillas
2024	Mets de Guaynabo
2024–present	Bnei Herzliya
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

Chris Silva Obame Correia Silva (born September 19, 1996) is a Gabonese professional basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and has played in the NBA.

Early life

Silva was born in Gabon. His father, who played for the Gabon men's national basketball team, helped arrange to send Silva to the United States as a teenager to pursue a professional basketball career. ^[1]

In September 2012, when Silva was 15 years old, he arrived in the United States for the first time to enroll at Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey. Though he knew no English and had no experience playing organized basketball, he told assistant basketball coach Tommy Sacks, "Coach, I go 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." ^[2]

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." ^[3]

College career

In 2017 Silva started all 37 games on the Gamecocks team that reached the Final Four, and had a 2-point shooting percentage of .526 (10th in the SEC). In 2018 Silva won SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, was First-team All-SEC, and was named to the All-Defensive team. ^[4]

As a junior he averaged 14.3 points and 8.0 rebounds (4th in the SEC) per game, shot 46.7 percent from the floor, and led the conference with 213 free throws. He was named 2018 First Team All-SEC (Coaches), SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and SEC All-Defensive Team. 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. ^[5] In 2018-19 he averaged 15.2 points (9th in the SEC), 7.6 rebounds (6th), and 1.9 blocks (4th) per game. In 2019 he was named SEC Player of the Week (3/11/2019), All-SEC Second Team (AP), ABC All-District (21) Second Team, First Team All-SEC (Coaches), and All-SEC Second Team (AP). ^[4]

Professional career

Miami Heat (2019–2021)

Silva was signed by the Miami Heat on July 11, 2019. ^[6] On October 19, the Heat converted his deal to a two-way contract with their NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. ^[7] 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. ^[8] On January 15, 2020, Silva signed a standard NBA contract with the Heat. ^[9] On January 23, Silva was assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce. ^[10] On January 26, Silva was brought back up to the Miami Heat. The Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals, but lost in 6 games to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 44 games in 2019-20 he averaged 7.9 minutes, 3.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game. ^[4]

Sacramento Kings (2021)

On March 25, 2021, Silva and Maurice Harkless were traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Nemanja Bjelica. ^[11] On April 28, he was waived by the Kings. ^[12] He played four games with the team, averaging 2.4 minutes per game. ^[4]

Iowa Wolves (2021)

On September 20, 2021, Silva signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. ^[13] However, he was waived prior to the start of the season. ^[14] On October 26, he signed with the Iowa Wolves. ^[15] In 12 games, he averaged 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 blocks, leading the Wolves in rebounds per game and blocks per game. ^[16]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2021)

On December 21, 2021, Silva signed a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. ^[16] He played on game with the team, in which he played 3.5 minutes. ^[4]

Return to Miami (2021–2022)

On December 31, 2021, Silva signed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat. ^[17] On January 10, 2022, he signed a second 10-day contract. ^[18] Silva signed a third 10-day contract with the Heat on January 21. ^[19] He signed a fourth 10-day contract with the Heat on January 31. ^[20] He played nine games with the team, in which he averaged 9.7 minutes, 2.9 points, and 3.9 rebounds per game. ^[4]

Return to Iowa (2022)

He returned to the Iowa Wolves on February 9. ^{[21] [22]}

College Park Skyhawks (2022–2023)

On November 3, 2022, Silva was named to the opening night roster for the College Park Skyhawks. ^[23] With the team in 22 games he averaged 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. ^[4]

Dallas Mavericks (2023)

On January 31, 2023, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they had signed Silva to a 10-day contract. ^[24] He signed a second 10-day contract with the team on February 10, ^[25] but was waived just four days later, in order for the team to sign Justin Holiday instead. ^[26] He played one game with the team, in which he played three minutes. ^[4]

Return to College Park (2023–2024)

On February 14, 2023, Silva was reacquired by the College Park Skyhawks. ^[27] In 25 games he averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. ^[4]

On September 25, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks, ^[28] but was waived two days later. ^[29] On October 29, he returned to the Skyhawks. ^[30]

Piratas de Quebradillas (2024)

On April 1, 2024, Silva signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. ^[31] However, he was waived on April 15 after suffering an injury. ^[32] He played four games, and averaged 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. ^[4]

Mets de Guaynabo (2024)

On May 20, 2024, Silva signed with the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. ^[33] He played seven games, and averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. ^[4]

Bnei Herzliya (2024–present)

In July 2024, he signed to play for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. ^[34]

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. ^[35]

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

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2019–20	Miami	44	0	7.9	.615	.000	.673	2.9	.5	.2	.5	3.0
2020–21	Miami	11	0	7.5	.692	1.000	.773	2.3	.5	.1	.5	2.7
2020–21	Sacramento	4	0	2.3	.333	—	—	.5	.0	.0	.3	.5
2021–22	Minnesota	1	0	3.0	—	—	—	1.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2021–22	Miami	9	0	9.8	.533	—	.833	3.9	.8	.0	.1	2.9
2022–23	Dallas	1	0	3.0	1.000	—	—	.0	.0	.0	.0	2.0
Career		70	0	7.6	.609	.250	.707	2.7	.5	.1	.4	2.8

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	South Carolina	32	6	13.3	.482	—	.609	4.5	.2	.4	.9	5.4
2016–17	South Carolina	37	37	20.9	.524	.000	.749	6.1	.4	.6	1.4	10.2
2017–18	South Carolina	33	33	25.8	.467	.417	.753	8.0	1.2	.6	1.4	14.3
2018–19	South Carolina	32	32	26.7	.508	.500	.744	7.6	.9	.9	1.9	15.2
Career		134	108	21.7	.497	.475	.729	6.5	.7	.6	1.4	11.3

References

1. Thorpe, Jacob (April 1, 2017). "South Carolina forward Chris Silva's journey from Gabon to the Final Four". Associated Press News . Retrieved September 25, 2021.
2. Schneider, Jeremy (March 23, 2015). "From Gabon to T of C glory: The basketball journey of Roselle Catholic's Chris Silva". The Star-Ledger . Retrieved August 1, 2015.
3. Braziller, Zach (September 20, 2014). "The NJ hoops star from Africa: The Chris Silva saga". New York Post . Retrieved August 1, 2015.
4. "Chris Silva," basketball.realgm.com.
5. Hines, Travis (May 21, 2018). "Chris Silva returning to South Carolina for senior season". NBC Sports . Retrieved May 30, 2018.
6. "HEAT Signs Martin and Silva". National Basketball Association. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
7. "HEAT Convert Silva To Two-Way Contract". National Basketball Association. October 19, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
8. "Butler misses Miami debut, Heat beat Grizzlies 120–101". ESPN. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
9. "Chris Silva Earns NBA Contract". National Basketball Association. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
10. Winderman, Ira (January 23, 2020). "Heat send Chris Silva to G League for seasoning". Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved January 24, 2020.
11. "Kings Acquire Maurice Harkless And Chris Silva". National Basketball Association. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
12. "Kings Sign Chimezie Metu To Multi-Year Contract". National Basketball Association. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
13. "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN BRIAN BOWEN II, MATT LEWIS, ISAIAH MILLER AND CHRIS SILVA". National Basketball Association. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
14. "Timberwolves Waive Brian Bowen II, Matt Lewis, Isaiah Miller And Chris Silva". National Basketball Association. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
15. "Iowa Wolves Announce Training Camp Roster and Finalize Coaching Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. October 26, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
16. "TIMBERWOLVES SIGN FORWARD CHRIS SILVA AND GUARD RAYJON TUCKER TO 10-DAY CONTRACTS". National Basketball Association. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
17. Winderman, Ira (December 31, 2021). "Erik Spoelstra on Heat adding Chris Silva, Mario Chalmers, 'It's like going back in time'". Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved December 31, 2021.
18. "HEAT RE-SIGN KYLE GUY AND CHRIS SILVA". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
19. Adams, Luke (January 21, 2022). "Chris Silva Signs Third 10-Day Deal With Heat". HoopsRumors. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
20. Adams, Luke (January 31, 2022). "Heat Sign Chris Silva To Fourth 10-Day Contract". HoopsRumors. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
21. Winderman, Ira (February 9, 2022). "Heat trade KZ Okpala to Thunder to open roster spot, restructure future pick owed to OKC". Sun-Sentinel . Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
22. "2021–22 NBA G League Transactions". National Basketball Association. February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
23. "College Park Skyhawks Roster 2022–23". National Basketball Association. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
24. Mavs PR [@MavsPR] (January 31, 2023). "The Dallas Mavericks have signed Chris Silva to a 10-day contract. Silva joins Dallas after beginning the year with the G League's College Park Skyhawks, where he averaged 14.2 points (.586 FG%, .781 FT%), 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 11 regular-season games (10 starts)" (Tweet). Retrieved January 31, 2023– via Twitter.
25. "Mavericks Sign Chris Silva To Second 10-Day Contract". Hoops Rumors. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
26. "Mavs Waive Chris Silva from 10-Day Contract". March 22, 2024.
27. "2022–23 NBA G League Transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
28. Chouinard, Kevin [@KLChouinard] (September 25, 2023). "Hawks announced that they have signed Chris Silva" (Tweet). Retrieved September 26, 2023– via Twitter.
29. Adams, Luke (September 27, 2023). "Hawks Waive Chris Silva". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
30. "College Park Skyhawks Finalize Training Camp Schedule and Roster". NBA.com. October 29, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
31. La Guerra del BSN [@LaGuerraBSN] (April 1, 2024). "#BSNPR │OFICIAL: El delantero/centro ex-NBA Chris Silva reforzará a los Piratas de Quebradillas en la temporada 2024 del BSN según informó la franquicia. Silva se integrará al equipo a partir de la segunda semana. A esos efectos, el equipo estará utilizando al veterano canastero Jeff Adrien durante la primera semana del torneo, quien sale del retiro tras jugar su último partido en el 2020. El delantero mide 6'9, tiene 27 años y viene de promediar 17.1 PPJ, 8.6 RPJ y 1.1 BPJ en 27 MPJ con el club College Park Skyhawks en la G-League. El equipo aún tiene en planes la llegada del centro Tacko Fall quien sustituirá a Silva y figura como el refuerzo principal de los Piratas" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved April 2, 2024– via Twitter.
32. La Guerra del BSN [@LaGuerraBSN] (April 15, 2024). "#BSNPR │ OFICIAL: El centro Jeremy Tyler regresa como refuerzo de los Piratas de Quebradillas en sustitución de Chris Silva quien sufrió una lesión. Tyler ya se encuentra en Puerto Rico y se reportó al equipo. El centro promedió 13.3 PPJ y 6.4 RPJ en 21.6 minutos por partido en su última actuación con los Indios de Mayagüez. 📝 @gabyquile │ @VoceroPR" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved April 15, 2024– via Twitter.
33. La Guerra del BSN [@LaGuerraBSN] (May 20, 2024). "#BSNPR │ OFICIAL: El delantero/pívot Chris Silva es el nuevo refuerzo de los Mets de Guaynabo en sustitución de Deonte Burton. Silva militó esta temporada con los Piratas de Quebradillas donde promedió 12.8 PPJ y 7.8 RPJ durante 19.5 MPJ en cuatro partidos antes de salir por lesión" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved May 21, 2024– via Twitter.
34. "Bnei Hertzeliya signs Chris Silva," Eurobasket.
35. "College prospect Silva highlights Gabon's preliminary squad". FIBA. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com    and  Basketball Reference  
• South Carolina Gamecocks bio