Tristan Da Silva proud of ‘staying the same person’ as Orlando Magic rookie honors Bavarian roots during NBA Draft
FOR new Orlando Magic star Tristan Da Silva, Draft Night wasn't just about making it to the NBA.
It was also about how he did it, a journey that began in Munich, Germany, where he was born to German-Brazilian parents.
Da Silva, 23, and his family proudly celebrated their roots at Barclays Center on Thursday night.
The 6-foot-9 forward's loved ones sported traditional Bavarian outfits, adding a little taste of Oktoberfest to the event.
The ex-Colorado standout himself had Bavaria's flag and the region's official symbols featured on the left side of his black-and-red suit's lining – while the right side displayed the Brazilian flag.
Da Silva made sure he remembered where he came from as he followed his older brother Oscar – who played basketball at Stanford and is now with FC Barcelona in Spain – to America.
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The would-be 18th overall NBA pick told The U.S. Sun he is proud of "staying the same person throughout the process" as he looked back at his journey.
"I'll continue to do that," he said less than an hour before the draft started.
"I'm still really tight with a lot of friends that I made growing up.
"I still pay a lot of tribute to where I'm coming from and who influenced me growing up. So, that's big."
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Da Silva had time to settle into the new country having spent four years with the Buffaloes.
He also earned his place in the draft, emerging as a versatile forward who can make an impact in a variety of ways.
The forward averaged 15.9 points, 4.9 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 steals while shooting 39.5% from 3 in his last two seasons at Colorado, earning back-to-back All-Pac-12 honors.
But Da Silva still couldn't believe he was about to be selected in the NBA draft – even though he had already been on the stage, posing for pictures with his peers and commissioner Adam Silver.
"It's still surreal. I'm still not grasping it," he said.
"It's kind of weird. I mean, I'm excited. I got my people out here. I put a lot of work into this.
I still pay a lot of tribute to where I'm coming from and who influenced me growing up
Tristan Da Silva
"To see it pay off is just huge."
The draft process itself required a lot of effort, Da Silva admitted.
Seven pre-draft workouts followed by endless interviews and events around New York City took their tool.
And he could feel it on Thursday morning – not that it took away from the forward's big moment.
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"I wanted to go right back to sleep, I'm not going to lie. I'm kind of tired," Da Silva said.
"But I woke up and I was like... oh yeah, today's the day."