A historic name in Brazilian basketball, Marquinhos Abdalla from Rio de Janeiro died on Sunday night (22), aged 73. The cause of death was not disclosed.
In Brazil, he played between the 1960s and 1980s for Fluminense, Sírio —where he was club world champion in 1979—, Flamengo and Bradesco. He also played for Virtus Bologna and Genova, in Italy.
For the Brazilian team, he participated in three Olympics, in 1972, 1980 and 1984, and was runner-up in the world champion in 1970.
He was also a three-time South American and 1971 Pan American Games champion.
In the United States, he played in the NCAA, the American college basketball league, for Pepperdine, in 1974.
In 1976, he became the first Brazilian to be drafted by the NBA, by the Portland Trail Blazers. At the time, he ended up refusing the contract offered in order to continue playing for the Brazilian team – professional players could not compete in the Olympic Games.
“Marquinhos was an ace on and off the court. A different guy, incredibly talented and a champion. Brazilian basketball loses a technical and personal reference. Our condolences to the friends, family and fans who celebrated so much with Marquinhos on the court. He is already missed,” said Marcelo Sousa, president of the CBB (Brazilian Basketball Confederation), in a statement.
