Legendary Brazilian basketball player Oscar Schmidt has died. He was 68 years old. Brain cancer was discovered in 2011. Recently, he had serious health problems and was under constant medical supervision.
Oscar Schmidt. Photo: Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Oscar Schmidt was considered one of the best scorers in basketball history. During his career, he scored over 49,737 points and remained the highest-scoring player in the world for a long time, only being surpassed by the famous LeBron James in 2024.
He also set unique Olympic records. During his overall 29-year (!) career, he participated in five tournaments (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996). In total, he scored 1093 points at the Olympic Games. Additionally, in Olympic Seoul in 1988, he scored 55 points in a match against Spain — the best individual performance in Olympic history.
In 1984, Schmidt was drafted by the NBA, but he declined to join the world's most prestigious league to maintain his eligibility to play for the national team. NBA players at that time were not allowed to participate in international competitions.
In 1991, Schmidt was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players, and on August 20, 2010, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in recognition of his play in international competitions. In 1997, he received the Olympic Order.
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