Dwight Powell (Canada) isn’t the only former Stanford men’s basketball player competing in the Paris Olympics this summer. Oscar da Silva will also be making the trip to the City of Lights as a member of the German Olympic men’s basketball team.
Da Silva played for Stanford from the 2017-18 season all the way through the 2020-21 season. In his four years at Stanford, da Silva averaged 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. As a senior, he averaged 18.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game against a strength of schedule that Sports-Reference.com ranks as a 10.01. That’s ridiculous.
Da Silva was a guy who could do it all for the Cardinal inside. He could score, rebound, and block shots. He was very reliable and one who they could always depend on. Unfortunately for him, he was never able to play in an NCAA tournament game as the Cardinal haven’t been back to the tournament since 2014.
On top of being a great player on the court, da Silva was also a model student at Stanford, earning Pac-12 scholar athlete of the year honors as a senior. Da Silva completed his degree in Biology with an emphasis in biochemistry and biophysics.
While he hasn’t had an NBA career, da Silva has done just fine over in Europe, playing in the EuroLeague with Alba Berlin, FC Barcelona, and Bayern Munich. He’s carved out a nice career for himself in Europe, playing in what is the top basketball league in the world outside of the NBA.
For da Silva, this will be his first time playing in the Olympics. Germany always has a pretty solid team, so for him to make the roster in and of itself is a big deal. It’ll be fun to see how da Silva does and whether or not Germany will be able to make a bit of a run.
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