Considered one of the greatest basketball athletes of all time, Oscar Schmidt had a career of glories and historic achievements, whether for the Brazilian national team or for the clubs he played for.
— he had the chance, but he gave it up — Oscar managed to write his name in the sport. They were decisive points in national basketball, when he defended great teams in the country, in addition to being missed in Europe, especially in Italian basketball.
Check below a summary of the victorious and unforgettable trajectory followed by Mão Santa over 30 years. .
Successful club career
He began his successful career in the 1970s, where he defended the colors of Palmeiras and Sírio. In Verdão, he won important titles, such as the Paulista in 1974, at just 16 years old, and the Brasileiro in 1977.
In Sírio, Oscar was part of the historic world champion team in 1979, in a packed Ibirapuera gym. In addition to Mão Santa, the São Paulo team was led by Cláudio Mortari and had names like Marcelo Vido and Marquinhos Abdalla.
In the 1980s, Oscar played for Italian basketball. At the time, the European league was considered one of the most prestigious in the world, and the Brazilian legend scored 14 thousand points.
There, he played for JuveCaserta for eight seasons, making more than 200 appearances and winning an Italian Cup. In Pavia, it was three years. Due to his successful career, Oscar had shirts retired from both Italian teams.
In 1984, the Brazilian was drafted by the New Jersey Nets, but gave up a place in the powerful league to continue defending Brazil. At the time, NBA athletes were not allowed to defend their national teams.
In 1995, Oscar decided to return to Brazilian basketball and wore the Corinthians shirt, becoming Brazilian champion the following year.
At the end of his career, Oscar also defended another massive team. With Flamengo, he lifted two state titles and became the greatest scorer in the history of the sport by surpassing former NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 46,725 points.
Oscar has also worn the shirts of América do Rio (1982), Fórum de Valladolid, in Spain (between 1993 and 1995), Banco Bandeirantes (1997 and 1998) and Mackenzie (1998 and 1999).
Golden era in the Selection with Oscar
wrote his name in national basketball early. In 1977, he was voted the best center of the 1977 South American youth team, earning a place in the main team soon after.
The greatest achievement of Mão Santa’s career came at the Indianapolis Pan in 1987. In the final, Brazil won the gold medal after a spectacular comeback, a result that became the United States’ first home defeat in history.
At the Olympics, there were five participations. The first, in Moscow, he scored 169 points and helped Brazil to fifth place. Four years later, in Los Angeles, he scored 169 points again.
In the 1988 edition, in Seoul, Oscar was the competition’s top scorer with 338 points. Mão Santa also wore green and yellow in Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996.
