Brazil mourns the legend Oscar Schmidt

Brazilian basketball legend Oscar Schmidt, who competed in the Olympic Games five times and is considered one of the game's all-time leading scorers, has died at the age of 68, according to officials and his family.

His family said that the Hall of Fame member, who remains the best scorer in the Olympic basketball competition, died after a long battle with a brain tumor.

Oscar Schmidt was born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and is immortalized as the “Sacred Hand” for his exceptional shooting accuracy. He scored 49,737 points throughout his career between 1974 and 2003.

He was selected from the New Jersey Nets, a competitor in the American Professional Basketball League, via the draft, but he never participated in the NBA after he preferred to devote himself to representing the Brazilian national team.

Schmidt retired as the all-time leading scorer in basketball in the world, a record he held until LeBron James surpassed him in 2024.

The Brazilian Basketball Federation said: “The greatest player in the history of Brazilian basketball bids farewell to the courts as an absolute symbol of this sport,” describing Schmidt’s legacy as “a legacy that redefined the limits of what is possible on the court.”

Schmidt was transferred earlier yesterday, Friday, to a hospital in Santana de Parnaiba, Sao Paulo state.

His son Felipe wrote in an emotional letter: “Today the world loses a symbol, and I lose my father... Rest in peace, father,” adding that his father now belongs to the “Life Hall of Fame.”

While he spent his career at the club level in South America and Europe, Schmidt shone on the Olympic scene, where he participated in five Olympic Games between Moscow in 1980 and Atlanta in 1996, scoring 1,093 points.

He also participated in four editions of the World Cup, and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in the United States.

The Brazilian Federation continued: “Oscar Schmidt was not just an exceptional player, but rather a true embodiment of dedication, passion and commitment to sports,” and added: “His departure represents the end of an era.”