Embracing the true spirit of Christmas, the association made a heartwarming gesture on Friday by reuniting Miami Heat player Chris Silva with his mother after three years of not seeing each other.
A native of Gabon, a country located at the west coast of Central Africa, the 23-year-old left his home country back in 2012 and sacrificed being away from his family to pursue his NBA dream.
Made possible by the joint efforts of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Sr. VP of Int Basketball Operations Kimberly Bohuny and NBA Africa, Silva's mother Carine Minkoue Obame traveled 6,300 miles to surprise her son during the Heat's team practice.
Surrounded by his team, Silva got the best gift he could ever hope for this holiday season.
“The holidays are really about being around the people you love and most everybody feels grateful that you're able to spend some that quality time. But I always think about Silva. When was the last time you saw your family?” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra asked Silva, before ushering in his mother.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1210744438281998342
Overcome with emotions, Silva was completely taken aback by the heartwarming scene after seeing his mother in the flesh, after being with her only once in the last seven years.
Silva, who did not know how to speak English when he came to the US when he was just 16 years old, started his journey at Rosselle Catholic School in New Jersey. Apart from his physical gifts, his former coaches lauded him for being one of the hardest workers in the room. Despite going undrafted in 2019, Silva displayed determination to make it to the big leagues and evenutally earned himself a two-way contract with the Heat and D-League affiliate Sioux Falls SkyForce.
Silva has appeared in 25 games for the Heat this season, with modest averages of 3.8 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field.
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