Brazilian basketball legend Oscar Schmidt died on Friday at the age of 68, the Brazilian Basketball Confederation (CBB) and his family announced.
Nicknamed “Mao Santa” (Holy Hand), Schmidt scored 49,737 points during a long and fruitful career (1974-2003) with clubs and the national team, a world record that stood for many years until it was surpassed by American star LeBron James in 2024.
The greatest player in the history of Brazilian basketball bids farewell as an absolute icon of the sport, leaving behind a legacy that redefined the boundaries of what was possible on the fieldaccording to the CBB press release.
shooter genius, Schmidt competed in five Olympic Gamesfrom Moscow in 1980 to Atlanta in 1996, and remains the all-time leading scorer in Olympic history, with more than a thousand points scored.
He only retired at the age of 45, in 2003, while playing for the Brazilian club Flamengo.
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Oscar Schmidt played in clubs in Brazil, Italy and Spain, but never played in the NBA. He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1984, the same year Michael Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, but ultimately decided not to play in the North American League.
He stated on several occasions that, according to the rules of the time, that would forced him to give up playing for the national team.
He somewhat compensated for this missed opportunity in the NBA by participating in the All-Star Game, the Game of Fame, in 2017.
Oscar Schmidt was not only an outstanding player. He was alone the definition of loyalty, passion and commitment to sportCBB emphasized, adding that his death marks the end of an era.
(Hina | Photo: X)
