Marcus Santos-Silva

Marcus Santos-Silva (born June 7, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for ERA Nymburk of the National Basketball League. He previously played college basketball and college football for Texas Tech and VCU.

Early life Growing up, Santos-Silva played tight end on the gridiron and preferred football to basketball. During his freshman season at Taunton High School, he decided to focus on basketball after he had a growth spurt and defenders began targeting his knees. Following his sophomore season, Santos-Silva transferred to Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School. He transferred again to Vermont Academy and repeated his junior year. As a senior, Santos-Silva was named to the Lakes Region all-conference team, helping the team finish 19–11. He committed to VCU over offers from Kansas State, Boston College and Temple, among others. During the offseason, he greatly worked on expanding his game, particularly his shooting and conditioning and lost 30 pounds over the summer. During the summer, Santos-Silva focused on his rebounding and adding a mid-range shot. As a junior, Santos-Silva averaged 12.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor. Following the season, he decided to transfer to Texas Tech as a graduate transfer. He finished his bachelor's degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in the summer of 2020, and was eligible for Texas Tech immediately.

Santos-Silva was named the preseason Big 12 Conference newcomer of the year. In his Texas Tech debut on November 25, Santos-Silva finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in a 101–58 win against Northwestern State. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Following the season he announced that he was returning to Texas Tech for his fifth season of eligibility.

Statistics

College

Professional football career Cleveland Browns Santos-Silva signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2022, to play tight end. He was waived on August 22, 2022.

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas selected him in the 15th round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft on January 1, 2023.

Professional basketball career Lille Métropole BC (2023–2024) Marcus Santos-Silva came back to a basketball career : he was hired by Lille Métropole BC in the Pro B, the 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. There he succeed to play for his French team, and became member of the first team's Pro B at the end of the season 2023–2024.

Saint-Quentin (2024–2025) On June 27, 2024, he signed with Saint-Quentin of the French first division Betclic Élite. Struggling to adapt, he didn't get significant playing time under head coach Julien Mahé, averaging only 2.3 points in 10 minutes across 15 league games.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva (2025) In early February 2025, Santos-Silva reached a buyout agreement with Saint-Quentin and was officially released. He immediately signed with Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. After his disappointing stint in France (2.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10 minutes per game), he bounced back during the second half of the season, tripling his output and averaging 7.3 points on 47.8% shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 block in 20 minutes per game.

ERA Nymburk (2025–present) In August 2025, Marcus Santos-Silva signed with Czech champions ERA Nymburk, a team qualified to play in the 2025–26 Basketball Champions League.

Personal life Santos-Silva is the son of Louie Silva and Jackie Santos-Silva.