Luis Fernando Da Silva Jr. (born August 3, 1982), also known as Trikz, is an American
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
,
basketball player
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
, and
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
. He gained fame after headlining the 2001
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
Freestyle ad campaign.
Basketball career
In a 2001 episode of ''
This American Life
''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internation ...
'', Da Silva was the first
streetball
Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...
athlete to be signed to an advertising contract by
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...
.
He performed with
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
in 2001 in New York City's Niketown while promoting the well known Nike campaign. He was subsequently mentioned in
Scoop Jackson’s main division, titled Sole Provider, which recognized the best of Nike’s 35-year chronicle.
In 2003, Da Silva was the youngest player signed to the
Harlem Wizards
The Harlem Wizards is a professional basketball team created in 1962 by sports promoter Howie Davis. Unlike most basketball teams, the Harlem Wizards are not primarily focused on winning games. Instead, their aim is to entertain the crowd using ...
Show basketball team.
Midway Games
Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...
offered Da Silva a lead in the newly developed video game, ''
L.A. Rush
''L.A. Rush'', known as ''Rush'' in the PlayStation Portable version, is an open world racing video game developed by Midway Studios – Newcastle and published by Midway Games, released in North America for PlayStation 2 and Xbox (console), X ...
'', which sold 1 million units internationally. He has also worked with Midway performing the video game motion capturing for ''
NBA Ballers
''NBA Ballers'' is a Streetball game similar to AND 1 Streetball and has gameplay similar to the ''NBA Jam'' series. The game features fictional NBA analyst, Bob Benson (voiced and depicted by Terry Abler) and MC Supernatural doing the comment ...
'', ''
NBA Ballers: Phenom'', ''
NBA Ballers: Chosen One'', ''
NBA 2K8
''NBA 2K8'' is a 2007 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports and Spike. It is the ninth installment in the ''NBA 2K'' franchise and the successor to '' NBA 2K7''. It was released in 2007 for PlayS ...
'', ''
NBA 2K9
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
'' and ''
AND 1 Streetball
''AND 1 Streetball'' is a streetball video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed by Black Ops Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The game was released on June 6, 2006, in conjunction with the AND1 Mixtape Tour. A scaled-down, mobile ...
'' video games.
He has been featured in magazines ''SLAM'' and ''DIME'' and on the front page of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' and the cover of ''TIME'' overseas.
In 2006,
Stephon Marbury
Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach in the Chinese Basketball Association. After his freshman year with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected as th ...
and Steve & Barry's announced that Da Silva would hit the road on the Starbury SLAM Tour, with the first of many appearances at Steve & Barry's stores and schools across 120 cities in 60 days to perform his unique style of hip hop themed basketball wizardry in front of kids and parents. Andy Todd, president of Steve & Barry's, said "Trikz is not only a phenomenal performer; he's also a phenomenal guy who kids will enjoy seeing and hearing."
In August 2007, Da Silva fulfilled a childhood dream when he was invited to participate in a
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...
mini-camp in Houston, TX and two days into the camp was offered a contract to join the legendary team.
In October 2008, the Maryland Nighthawks announced that they selected Da Silva with the 14th overall pick as part of their official "Travel team" of the PBL this year, and are set to tour China and other Asian countries during the season.
In 2009, Da Silva achieved a personal goal of setting a
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
of 24 consecutive neck catches of a basketball. In 2009, Da Silva became the youngest person ever inducted into the City of Elizabeth Athletic Hall of Fame.
Da Silva performed during the 2010 World Basketball Festival in New York City, while the
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
performance took place in the
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
, all presented by Nike.
Acting career
Da Silva began appearing in such films as ''
The Brave One'' and ''
Pride & Glory'' in the late 2000s.
He has produced and directed an instructional DVD entitled ''Freestyle 101'', which has been created into an
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
application available on iTunes and Apple store. This DVD is a
streetball
Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...
tutorial that is devoted to inspiring children, adolescents and adults to use basketball in a creative and challenging way of physical fitness.
In 2011, Da Silva played in ''
Fast Five
''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5'' or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist'') is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film director. His films ...
'' and in the 2012 comedy ''
21 Jump Street
''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...
'', gaining increasing exposure. With the release of 2013's ''
Dead Man Down
''Dead Man Down'' is a 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film written by J.H. Wyman and directed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev. The film stars Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper, and Terrence Howard, and was released on March ...
'', he had his biggest role yet, as
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...
's righthand man, Terry.
This was followed up by a role in the 2013 summer hit ''
The Heat'' featuring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
In 2014, he completed filming roles for several films, like ''Convergence'', ''Aztec Warrior'', ''
American Heist
''American Heist'' is a 2014 action drama film directed by Russian director Sarik Andreasyan, based on the 1959 film ''The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery'' directed by Charles Guggenheim and John Stix. The film stars Hayden Christensen, Jordana Bre ...
'', ''American Project'', ''
American Hero'', ''
Triple 9
''Triple 9'' is a 2016 American heist action thriller film directed by John Hillcoat and written by Matt Cook. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins Jr., Norman Re ...
'', and ''
Mr. Right''.
Da Silva has roles in many of
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...
's pictures, ''
Gotti
Gotti may refer to:
People with the name People with the surname
* Gotti (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
People with the stagename
* Irv Gotti, stage name of Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., American DJ and record prod ...
'', ''
Trading Paint
''Trading Paint'' (also released as ''Burning Rubber'') is a 2019 American sport action drama film directed by Karzan Kader, with a script co-written by Craig Welch and Gary Gerani. It stars John Travolta, Michael Madsen, Shania Twain and Toby Se ...
'' and ''
Speed Kills''.
He appears on television in roles on series like ''
Graceland
Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...
'', ''
Person of Interest
"Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...
'' and ''
Power
Power most often refers to:
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events
** Abusive power
Power may a ...
''.
Filmography
Writing career
Silva published his first
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
titled ''A Boy Named Boo'', which he wrote and illustrated.
References
External links
*
*
Freestyle 101 DVD website Retrieved on 2011-05-04.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Da Silva, Luis
Living people
1982 births
Male actors from New Jersey
Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey
Basketball players from New Jersey
Street basketball players
American male film actors
American men's basketball players
Guards (basketball)
Point guards
American male television actors
21st-century American male actors
American people of Portuguese descent