Culture and Basketball
Isa Silva is part of CSULB’s men’s basketball team and hopes to leave a legacy of representation. Photo by Naoki Gima.
Up until this year’s draft of the National Basketball Association, only five players throughout the history of the league have come from Mexican descent. Long Beach State’s new men’s basketball player, Isa Silva, is a first generation Mexican-American and looks to add to the number of Latinx players in the NBA in the future.
Originally from Sacramento, Silva played two years at Stanford University and looks to cherish a grand opportunity by transferring to Long Beach State.
Basketball has always been the main focus for Silva and his family. Silva’s parents, Mexican-born father Francisco Silva and American-born mother Soyla Fernandez-Jensen, both played basketball and their passion for the game was eventually passed down to Silva.
“Both of my parents played basketball. So coincidentally, basketball is what I fell in love with,” Silva said. “And you know, ever since I can remember, I've been playing basketball and a basketball has been in my hands.”
Francisco Silva was Isa’s first basketball coach. He started a basketball academy within his community where kids could get free basketball training and coaching.
“We started off with a basketball academy… then it turned into a travel-ball program and they would compete in national AAU tournaments. A good group of kids who are now playing high-level collegiate basketball, including Isa,” Silva said.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., the most recent Mexican-American basketball player to be drafted into the NBA, is a familiar figure to Silva as they’ve gotten to know each other through competition in the PAC-12. Silva believes Jaquez’s accomplishment is going to make a massive impact in the Latinx community.
“He was the best player in the PAC-12, and for him to be Mexican-American is something that I think we all should be proud of Jaime [for], no matter where you're from.” Silva said.
Silva’s mother believes that Jaquez’s success is a massive inspiration for players like her son, demonstrating that it is possible to make it to the highest level despite being a part of an underrepresented group in the sport.
“Jaquez is everything we’ve dreamed about for any kid that is playing basketball like Isa,” Fernandez-Jensen said. “We should all celebrate his success. I love that kid, I love watching him play.”
Silva strives to make a name for himself in the National Collegiate Athletic Association and become a part of a generation of Mexican-American basketball players who play basketball at a high level. His pride in his heritage was instilled in him by his parents and grandparents at an early age.
“It was very important to us that he kept his culture, his language and his connection to his family.” Fernandez-Jensen said.
Though it is natural in sports to push for competition and comparisons, Silva really wants the Latinx community to stick by each other even in such a competitive field.
“I think it's important that all Latinos support each other. Latinos are a wide group of people, right? It's not just Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, Latinos can be Puerto Rican, Dominican or Cuban,” Silva said. “There's so many different Latino communities and cultures that we need to stick together, especially in a sport where we deserve more recognition and where we're starting to grow.”
“I think it’s very important to support each other. Someone else’s success is your success.” Francisco Silva said. “It opens up doors and breaks down barriers. If another Latino or Latina becomes successful or becomes the CEO of a big company, it eliminates those barriers.”
