Xavier James Silas (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and current head coach for the Mets de Guaynabo of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

(BSN), the highest professional basketball league in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. He played college basketball for the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a Public university, public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a Federated state, state, it is the fla ...

and

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

High school and college career

Silas grew up in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, where he attended Stephen F. Austin High School before moving to

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was grant ...

, to attend

Brewster Academy Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. It occupies of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 350 students, it serves grades nine through twelve and po ...

for a

postgraduate year A postgraduate (PG) year is an extra year of secondary coursework at a boarding school following high school graduation, but before entering college. It is a gap year option intended for students who either have not applied or were not admitt ...

. In 2005–06, he averaged 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for Brewster Academy. After playing two seasons for

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Silas transferred to

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois, with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by ...

in 2008 and subsequently sat out the 2008–09 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. As a senior for Northern Illinois in 2010–11, Silas was named to the All-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

first team after he averaged 22.3 points (1st in the MAC) and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Professional career

2011–12 season

Silas went undrafted in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponso ...

. On September 16, 2011, he signed a one-year deal with

BCM Gravelines Basket Club Maritime Gravelines-Dunkerque, commonly referred to as BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, is a French professional basketball club based in Gravelines. They currently play in the Pro A, the highest professional league in France. The team forme ...

of the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

. In early December 2011, he left France and returned to the United States. On December 9, 2011, he signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. However, he was later waived by the 76ers on December 20, 2011. A week later, he was acquired by the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The Boston Celtics pu ...

. On April 24, 2012, he signed with the 76ers for the rest of the season.

2012–13 season

In July 2012, Silas joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2012 NBA Summer League. In the 76ers' final summer league game against the Detroit Pistons, Silas left the game after he was inadvertently elbowed in the head by teammate Solomon Jones. Silas went down with a concussion, and the Sixers initially feared a skull fracture. He subsequently required surgery on several sinus fractures. On September 27, 2012, he re-signed with the 76ers. However, he was later waived on October 10, 2012. On November 1, 2012, he was reacquired by the Maine Red Claws. On February 18, 2013, he was deactivated by the Red Claws and stayed that way for the rest of the season.

2013–14 season

In July 2013, Silas joined the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On September 27, 2013, he signed with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 24, 2013. On November 4, 2013, the Maine Red Claws traded Silas' rights to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. On November 17, 2013, he signed with Maccabi Ashdod of Israel for the rest of the 2013–14 season. On January 16, 2014, he left Maccabi after just nine games. On February 11, 2014, he signed with

Quimsa Asociación Atlética Quimsa, usually called simply Quimsa, is an Argentine sports club located in the city of Santiago del Estero in the homonymous province. The club's professional basketball team plays in the Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB), t ...

of Argentina for the rest of the season.

2014–15 season

On September 29, 2014, Silas signed with the

. However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 25, 2014. On January 7, 2015, he signed with Nea Kifissia of Greece for the rest of the season.

2015–16 season

On August 25, 2015, Silas signed with

Telekom Baskets Bonn Telekom Baskets Bonn is a German professional basketball club that is based in Bonn, Germany. The club plays in the Basketball Bundesliga, which is German basketball league system, the highest level pro basketball league in Germany. The club's s ...

of Germany for the 2015–16 season. On November 12, he parted ways with Telekom Bonn after appearing in five league games and four Eurocup games. On November 19, Silas signed with

San Lorenzo de Almagro Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its football team, which plays in the Primera División, the first tier of the Argentine foot ...

of the Argentine

Liga Nacional de Básquet Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

. On December 23, he parted ways with San Lorenzo after averaging 12.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in seven games. On January 14, 2016, Silas was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. That night, he made his debut for the Jam in a 105–100 loss to the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

, recording six points in 19 minutes off the bench.

2016–17 season

After being inactive for seven games, Silas made his debut with the

Northern Arizona Suns The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play as the Long ...

(the new name for the Bakersfield Jam) on December 3, 2016, against the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River v ...

. On April 6, 2017, Silas signed with the Hunan Yongsheng of China for the 2017 NBL season. However, he did not join the Chinese club.

2017–18 season

After concluding his season with the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3x3 basketball, 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketb ...

(a 3-on-3 basketball league created by

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

), Silas returned to the

once again on October 24, 2017. On March 27, 2018, after the conclusion of the first

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

season, the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

announced that they had signed Silas to a 10-day contract after the team granted hardship exception from the league. The Celtics did not resign him after the contract expired.

2018–19 season

Silas signed with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

to a training camp contract but was waived on October 13, 2018. Silas was added to the

Iowa Wolves The Iowa Wolves are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Des Moines, Iowa, and are affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena and compete in the Western ...

opening night roster.

BIG3

On April 30, 2017, Silas was drafted as the 4th overall pick in the inaugural draft for the

basketball league by Tri State. Silas played three games with Tri State before being traded to the Ball Hogs on July 13, 2017, in exchange for Dominic McGuire.

Coaching career

For the 2019–20 season, Silas joined the coaching staff for the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware. They are the G-League affiliates of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The Bl ...

as an assistant. Before the 2021–22 season, Silas became an assistant coach for the

Motor City Cruise The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play as the Lon ...

. In the 2024-25 basketball season, Silas is the Associate Head Coach at Virginia Military Institute.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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Playoffs

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2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

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Personal life

Silas is the son of James and Vanessa Silas, and has six brothers and one sister. His father was a two-time All-American at Stephen F. Austin and played 328 games in four seasons in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA), where he averaged 18.2 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. He also played six seasons in the NBA for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

after the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

and one for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, averaging 14.2 points per game.

References

External links

*
Northern Illinois Huskies bioEurobasket.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silas, Xavier 1988 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Argentina American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Israel American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players from Austin, Texas Basketball players from San Antonio BCM Gravelines players Big3 players Boston Celtics players Brewster Academy alumni Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Delaware Blue Coats coaches Iowa Wolves players Maccabi Ashdod B.C. players Maine Red Claws players Motor City Cruise coaches Nea Kifissia B.C. players Northern Arizona Suns players Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball players Philadelphia 76ers players Point guards Shooting guards Sportspeople from Austin, Texas Sportspeople from San Antonio Telekom Baskets Bonn players Undrafted NBA players United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen American men's 3x3 basketball players