Magic Rookie Tristan da Silva Wastes No Time in Getting Accustomed to Orlando Community

Tristan da Silva was the Orlando Magic's No. 18 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Ahead of his first NBA season, the Magic rookie is wasting little time in getting active in the community – one of Orlando's core franchise values.

Orlando Magic rookie Tristan da Silva, community ambassador Bo Outlaw and Magic staffers with the Magic Volunteer Program celebrate 100,000 hours of community service hours given to the Central Florida community during a service project at United Against Poverty in Orlando. / Mason Williams – Orlando Magic on SI

ORLANDO, Fla. –– The booming voice of Bo Outlaw rang out as the former forward, now the community ambassador for the Orlando Magic, was directing traffic.

He was clearing a path for an eager young boy to make his way to Tristan da Silva, the Orlando Magic's newest rookie participating in his first community give-back event, for a picture. The seas parted, da Silva happily obliged and wrapped an arm around the child's shoulder and smiled as Outlaw took the picture.

In this, moments before he'd engage in a service project with United Against Poverty in Orlando, da Silva received his first sign of how tight the bond is between the city and it's pro basketball team.

"I feel like as a basketball player most of the time you're in this bubble, working with only people that are in the basketball field," da Silva said on Tuesday. "Getting outside of that and being aware of the people you have an impact on, the influence you have on the community, is big."

da Silva, Outlaw and Magic staffers through the franchise's volunteer program (MVP) spent Tuesday afternoon celebrating 100,000 hours of community service to the Central Florida community. They assisted in sorting, cleaning and stocking supplies for United Against Poverty's Member Marketplace, Member Share Grocery, Emergency Food Pantry and the STEP Clothing Closet.

UP serves those in poverty by providing crisis care, case management, transformative education, food and household subsidy, employment training and active referrals to other collaborative social service providers.

The MVP program, which began in July 2006, was developed to encourage Magic employees to get out and get involved in the community. In the 18 years since, 100,000-plus service hours have been tracked.

"Following the DeVos family’s leadership, volunteerism has always been and continues to be a core value of the Magic organization,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins in a statement. "We are incredibly proud of our staff for their dedication to our great city and salute them for their generosity of time and treasure."

da Silva's focus has bene primarily on getting acclimated to the Magic in a basketball sense. In this occasion, he started learning what they're like outside of the arena.

"Giving back to the community, I know, is a big part of the Magic organization; one of their core values," da Silva said. Being a part of that and actually participating and giving back to the people that built the foundation for this program, for this organization, is awesome."

Bo Outlaw (left) and Tristan da Silva (right) present a check to UP to help recuperate losses due to water damage the building suffered earlier this summer. While the MVP's appearance was expected, the Magic's additional funding was a surprise. / Mason Williams, Orlando Magic on SI

Over the summer, some of da Silva's teammates have been busy giving back themselves, including guard Cole Anthony and center Wendell Carter Jr. At an event last Thursday, Carter Jr. said the Magic's involvement with the community made it easy to step into a role where he's able to make a difference for those surrounding the team. Not even a week later, da Silva said Tuesday that the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than himself and the sport that he plays is impactful to him.

It's a synonymous relationship wielding a double-edged sword between the team and the city, where each needs and has an impact on the other.

That helps Tristan da Silva the person, not just the basketball player, make this place feel more like home every day.

"It's just getting used to a new situation," da Silva said. "The people that I'm around, they make it really easy on me. It's been a lot of fun, and it's been an easy transition. The people that work in the organization, the teammates, the community; they really care about each other. So it's a really good spot to transition into."

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