Maria Paula Silva

Maria Paula Silva

Personal information
Born	March 11, 1962 (1962-03-11) (age 62) Osvaldo Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil
Medal record Women's basketball Representing Brazil Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta National team Pan American Games 1991 Havana National team 1987 Indianapolis National team 1983 Caracas National team World Championship 1994 Australia National team

Maria Paula Gonçalves da Silva (born March 11, 1962 in Osvaldo Cruz, São Paulo), nicknamed "Magic Paula", is a retired Brazilian women's basketball player. She is considered one of the greatest players in her country, along with Hortência Marcari and Janeth Arcain. For Brazil women's national basketball team, Paula is the second biggest scorer with 723 points (behind Hortência) and holds the record for caps with 45 games, being in two Olympic Games and six World Championships.

In 2006, Paula became a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Career

Paula begun playing basketball at the age of ten, and in 1974, was invited to join Assis Tênis Clube. One year and a half later, the team folded and Paula went to Jundiaí to play for Colégio Divino Salvador, and a few months later, was drafted for the first time by the national team despite being only fourteen. In 1988, Paula went to play in Spain, but an injured knee and difficulties of adaptation brought her back to Brazil in 1991.

In 1979, she helped her team to a fourth place at the Pan American Games, held in Puerto Rico. During the 1983 World Championship hosted by Brazil, reporter Juarez Araújo compared Paula's play to Magic Johnson, leading to her long-lasting nickname of "Magic Paula". That same year, Paula and the national team improved their previous Pan American performance by winning a bronze medal at the Venezuela games, and, in 1987, went yet one more step further by winning a silver medal at the 1987 Indianapolis Pan Americans. In 1991, Paula and the Brazilian women's national basketball team won the gold medal at that year's Pan American tournament, held in Cuba, being the player which most impressed Cuban president Fidel Castro.

In 1992, Paula helped her team qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time. Brazil arrived in seventh place at the Barcelona Olympics.

In 1993, Paula went to Associação Atlética Ponte Preta, where she played along with Hortência and won the World Championship for clubs. After discussions with Hortência, Paula returned to Piracicaba.

In 1994, Paula won the women's world basketball championship in Australia, making Brazil only country other than the Soviet Union or the United States to win the title (Australia became the fourth in 2006). She was considered most valuable player in that tournament. In 1996, she won a silver medal at the Atlanta Olympics, and retired from the national team after winning the 1997 FIBA Americas Championship for Women. She still played for clubs before retiring in 2000.

After retirement, Paula became an entrepreneur, director of the Centro Olímpico do Ibirapuera, and worked for a while in the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. She also commented the basketball tournaments of the 2011 Pan American Games and 2012 Summer Olympics for Rede Record, and comments the NBA playoffs and All-Star Game for Space since 2014.

External links

• (Portuguese)Official website
• (Portuguese)Paula at the Brazilian Confederation website
• Maria Paula Silva on Twitter