Oscar Schmidt
Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt ( born February 16, 1958 in Natal, Brazil ) is a former Brazilian basketball player. The 2.05 meter tall shooting guard played 26 years in clubs in Brazil, Spain and Italy and reached 49 703 points, which is an absolute record in professional basketball. He is considered the greatest Brazilian player of all time.
Career
Schmidt was from the beginning one of the most accurate basketball player, which Brazil had ever seen. For his tremendous accuracy of the three-point line was called in Brazil Mão Santa, the holy hand. In both Palmeiras and in Sirio he broke a points record after another and was several times national champion. He then moved to Italy and continued his list of individual and team track record by becoming Cup winner.
In the five Olympic Games, in which he participated with Brazil, he established his reputation as one of the best basketball player in the world. In Moscow in 1980, he played in seven games, scoring 24.1 points per game, which was the best. This he confirmed four years later in Los Angeles when he also scored 24.1 points per match in seven games. These services he presented in 1988 in Seoul in the shadows as he scored 42.3 points per game. In 38 Olympic matches from 1980 to 1996 Schmidt scored 1093 points, which corresponds to an average of 28.8 points. He is the most successful basketball player in the history of Olympic basketball competitions. At the World Championships he scored 916 points in 35 games, another record. Overall, Schmidt came in 326 international matches to 7,693 points.
The highlight of his career formed the Pan American Games in 1987, when Brazil sensationally defeated the undefeated for 34 games team of the United States after a half-time of 54-68 with 120-115. Schmidt scored 46 points, mostly with his dreaded three-point throws, and put the future NBA stars David Robinson and Danny Manning in the shade. Several times tried to commit teams from the NBA, Schmidt. The New Jersey Nets pulled Schmidt in the draft of 1984, but Schmidt refused, as he rejected the NBA as a player too rough and hostile. But critics also noted that Schmidt was considered a ball in love and selfish. He was known for hard to afford defensive work, and defended this by saying: "Some people play the piano, some people wear it. "
In the autumn of his career, Schmidt moved to Valladolid, before he returned to Brazil. He still played well after his 40th birthday and scored a total of 49 703 points, which is an absolute record. At the age of 45 years, Schmidt announced his retirement. After his basketball career, he worked as a manager and television reporter. On 20 August 2010 was admitted to the FIBA Hall of Fame, and on September 10, 2013 was followed by the inclusion in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Best Merits
- 49.703 points in FIBA professional leagues, absolute record
- Three times South American champion with Brazil (1977, 1983 and 1985)
- Gold medal in the Pan American Games in 1987
- Bronze medal in the World Championship (1978 )
- Club World champions and South American champions (each Sirio, 1979)
- 4x Brazilian champion ( Sirio 1979 and 1980, Palmeiras in 1974 and 1998)
- Italian Cup (Caserta 1988)
- Five part participating in the Olympics with Brazil, three times best basketball player
Private
Schmidt is married to Cristina Victorino Schmidt. They have two children, Felipe and Stephanie. His brother is the TV presenter Tadeu Schmidt.