Basketball, and Brazil, have lost a true legend. Oscar Schmidt – all-time leading scorer at the Olympic Games – passed away in Santana de Parnaíba, Brazil on Friday, April 17, at the age of 68.
He was hospitalised after falling ill and had been battling a brain tumour for years. The official cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
A native of Natal, Brazil, he is a member of both the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) and NBA (National Basketball Association) Halls of Fame – despite never having played in the North American professional league.
The legendary baller recalled watching a Brazilian national team game at the Olympics Games Munich 1972 during an interview with Olympics.com in 2022, wishing that, one day, he would compete in the Olympics too.
And he did. Not just once, but five times at Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta 1996 – his final appearance during a 20-year tenure with the Brazilian national team.
In the Olympic Games alone, he tallied 1,093 points out of a career total of 49,737, which he accumulated over nearly three decades in the sport. His single-game points record of 55 points still stands to this day.
Selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 1984 NBA Draft, he declined the offer because it would have required him to step away from the Brazilian team.
Such was his dedication to his country, and to the sport he loved.