Watch: Chris Silva sees mother for first time in 3 years at end of Miami Heat practice
Chris Silva’s impressive rookie season with the Miami Heat has only gotten better. But for reasons beyond any dunk, block or win.
The South Carolina star saw his mother for the first time in three years.
Carine Minkoue Obame, Silva’s mom, surprised her son at the end of Miami’s practice Friday. The Heat’s Twitter account posted a short video Friday evening, showing Obame’s travels from Africa to AmericanAirlines Arena. Silva immediately gets emotional upon seeing her and says, “That’s my mom.”
According to the Heat, the surprise visit was set up through NBA commissioner Adam Silver, senior vice president of international basketball operations Kimberly Bohuny and the NBA Africa program.
Silva, a two-time All-SEC selection for the Gamecocks, is from Gabon, Africa, and previously saw his mother when he traveled home in the summer of 2017, months after USC made the Final Four.
Gamecock coach Frank Martin responded to the video by tweeting, “Wow just wow. Thank u 2 the @MiamiHEAT and @NBA for making this moment happen. Not too many human beings better than @SilvaObame (Silva).”
NBA great LeBron James weighed in about the moment on Instagram, saying: “Nothing like that mother/son bond.”
Sindarius Thornwell, Silva’s teammate at South Carolina, said the video touched him personally. “Man this one hit like that’s me and my mom,” Thornwell tweeted.
Obame got a chance to watch her son play against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. Silva, who went undrafted out of Carolina, is averaging 3.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 9.5 minutes per game.
This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 10:23 PM.
