Okay, so, I decided to look into this basketball player, Oscar Schmidt. I heard some chatter about him being a legend, and I was curious. Turns out, this guy’s got quite the story!
First, I searched him online. I found out his full name is Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt, but most people just call him Oscar Schmidt. He’s Brazilian, born in 1958, and they nicknamed him “Mão Santa,” which means “Holy Hand.” I guess that tells you something about his shooting skills, right?
Then I dove a little deeper. This guy is huge, 6’9″ and 240 lbs! He played mostly power forward and small forward. I started browsing through some old articles and forum posts.
- I learned that he played professionally for a whopping 29 years! Can you believe that? That’s longer than some players have been alive.
- He played in Brazil and Italy. I read that he played for teams like JuveCaserta and Pavia when he was in Italy.
- I also discovered he holds the record for the most points scored in the history of the Summer Olympic Games.
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Apparently, he was so good that he got offers to play in the NBA, specifically the New Jersey Nets. But, get this – he turned them down! I found an old quote where he said the money wasn’t as good as what he was making in Italy. It’s crazy to think about a player today turning down the NBA.
My Thoughts After Researching
After all that digging, I realized Oscar Schmidt was a big deal, especially in Brazil. He was their star player, a true national hero. Some people even say he’s the best player to never play in the NBA.
It was a fun little research project. I always enjoy learning about these legends from the past, and Oscar Schmidt definitely lived up to the hype. He seems like a cool dude who was incredibly talented and loyal to his roots. He was a global legend after all.