The NBA, together with the Miami Heat organization, came up with one of the most heartwarming gestures this holiday season when they reunited Chris Silva with his mother Carine Minkoue Obame.
The Gabonese mother and son last saw each other three years ago and have only been together once in the past seven years.
Apart from the efforts of Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA Africa to make the reunion a reality, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra also played a big role in the surprise, which took place during team practice prior to their Friday match versus the Indiana Pacers.
Coach Spo bared that the entire Heat organization was moved by Silva's journey to achieve his NBA dream, moving to America in 2012 when he was just 16 years old despite not knowing the language when he first arrived.
The two-time NBA champion coach shared how fulfilling it was for him and his whole team to witness such an emotional sight.
Here's everything Erik Spoelstra said on the incredibly cool event tonight: The Heat, the NBA and NBA Africa combining to surprise Chris Silva with a visit from his mom. pic.twitter.com/Kz3U7H43ZX
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 28, 2019
Silva was moved to tears by the team's kind gesture and hugged his mother, as the entire Miami roster applauded the reunion.
“I thought I'd seen a ghost,” Chris Silva said of his mother's surprise arrival, per AP writer Tim Reynolds.
Currently playing on a two-way contract with the Heat and D-League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce, Silva did not suit up in Miami's 113-112 victory over the Pacers at the American Airlines Arena. Despite not being able to show his wares while his mom was watching live from the stands, the 24-year-old undrafted rookie is simply grateful for the opportunity to spend the holidays with his loved one.
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