Oscar Schmidt: 1958-2026

Photo: Brazil's Oscar Schmidt goes against the United States' Scottie Pippen in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga. Photo credit: Hans Deryk, Associated Press.

The best player never to play in the NBA has passed away. 

Oscar Schmidt, long regarded as the greatest to never to play in an NBA regular season game, has died at the age of 68. Schmidt was a 6 foot, 9 inch forward who played nearly 30 years overseas, accumulating copious amounts of accolades in the process, including being basketball's most prolific scorer, with 49,737 career points combining his national and club career.

Among his other feats:

1979 - FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion and FIBA Intercontinental Cup Finals top scorer

1991 - FIBA's 50 Greatest Players and FIBA European Selection

3-time ULEB All-Star (1992-94)

1993 - ULEB All-Star Game 3-Point Shootout Champion

1994 - Spanish League Top Scorer

2017 - Italian Basketball Hall of Fame

7-time Italian League Top Scorer (1984–1987, 1989, 1990, 1992)

1988 Italian Cup winner

9-time Italian League All-Star (1983–1991)

1987 Italian League All-Star Game MVP

3-time Italian League All-Star Game 3-Point Contest champion (1987–1989)

2-time Italian 2nd Division top scorer (1991, 1993)

1979 South American Club Championship champion

3-time Brazilian Championship champion (1977, 1979, 1996)

10-time Brazilian Championship top scorer (1979, 1980, 1996–2003)

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On July 31, 1992, Brazil faced the United States of America in Group A action in the 1992 Olympics. Brazil lost the game 127-83, but Schmidt did his part for his native country, posting 24 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Overall, he put up incredible numbers in five Olympic Games. 

1980: 24.1 points, 7.9 rebounds 

1984: 23.2 points (47.1% FG), 6.6 rebounds 

1988: 41.0 points (57.0% FG), 8.0 rebounds - led all scorers 

1992: 25.4 points (34.5% FG) - led all scorers 

1996: 28.0 points (42.7% FG) - led all scorers 

Schmidt scored 7,693 points with Brazil in 326 games from 1977-1996. His 1,093 career Olympic points are the most ever. He holds the Olympic single-game scoring record, 55 points, which he tallied against Spain in 1988, and also holds the single-game scoring record in the World Championships (52 points against Australia in 1990). In 1978, he led Brazil to a bronze medal at the World Championships in Manila, and led his country too to the 1987 Pan American Games championship. During that '87 run, Brazil defeated the United States, snapping the Americans’ 37-game winning streak. Schmidt was a South American champion three times, in 1977 (Chile), 1983 (Brazil), and 1985 (Colombia). In the 1993-94 season with Forum Valladolid of Liga ACB, Schmidt averaged 33.2 points per game.

Schmidt’s jersey is retired by Juve Caserta (Italy), Pavia (Italy), and Flamengo (Brazil). In 1990, he was awarded the Medal to the Sports’ Merit by the Republic of Brazil, and in 1997 received the Olympic Order. 

In the 1984 NBA Draft, he was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 144th pick. Showing off his extreme penchant for points, Schmidt in five exhibition games with the Nets averaged 25 points per game in 25 minutes per game. 

Said Basketball Hall of Famer (and two-time Olympic adversary of Schmidt) Charles Barkley to SLAM Magazine in 2009, “He was a great, great offensive player. He could score on anybody. Man, he could just score. He was like a smaller Dirk Nowitzki.”

In 2010, Schmidt was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, and in 2013, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Larry Bird, whom Schmidt viewed as his basketball idol, was Schmidt’s presenter. Said Bird following Schmidt’s passing, via David Aldridge:

“I always admired Oscar and considered him a friend. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game.”

RIP to one of basketball’s all-time greats, Oscar Schmidt. 

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