People may argue sometimes about who’s the best basketball player in history. Some would say it’s Michael Jordan and others would say it’s LeBron James. While there could be names like Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson that we could throw into that conversation, nobody seems to be talking about a non-NBA player named Oscar Schmidt. Let us tell you everything about Oscar “The Holy Hand” Schmidt and how great he was as a player.
Who is Oscar Schmidt?
- Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt, dubbed Mao Santa (Holy Hand) by his fans, is a Brazilian basketball sensation who played for about 29 years
- He was born and raised in Brazil and played the sport from 1974 until 2003. Throughout his career, Schmidt played in his home country and in Europe (Spain and Italy).
- Schmidt wasn’t your average player as he continuously dominated his opponents wherever he played. In Brazil, Schmidt took home 8 scoring titles. He added 7 more in Italy.
- Growing up, Kobe Bryant looked up to Oscar Schmidt and was basically the Black Mamba’s childhood hero.
- Oscar also represented Brazil in tons of international games. He is a five-time Olympian and is even the all-time Olympic leader in points with 1,038. Schmidt also has 906 points in the FIBA World Cup, which also happens to be an all-time record.
- In 1987, Schmidt made a huge comeback against a David Robinson-led Team USA in the Pan-Am Finals match.
- At 34 years old, in 1992, Schmidt held his own against the Dream Team that featured Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Despite the loss, the sensational basketball player still scored 31 points.
- Oscar Schmidt is a FIBA and Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Famer. He was elected in 2003.
- Since retiring in 2003, Schmidt still holds the record for most points scored with 49,737 points. In context, LeBron James is just 2,004 points short if we count regular season games, playoffs, and international matches.
- There’s no denying that Oscar Schmidt is definitely one of the best players who never played in the NBA.
Why did Oscar Schmidt not play in the NBA?
Some of you might ask why Oscar Schmidt never played in the NBA. Actually, the Brazilian star was drafted in the sixth round by the New Jersey Nets in 1984. Lest we forget, that draft class may have been the best because that year, the NBA got Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, and many more.
Schmidt was already playing professionally overseas for 10 years and only committed to the NBA by the time he was 25 years old. He even participated in the Nets’ training camps before the 1984-1985 season. However, he would later decline a guaranteed contract from the Nets for two reasons.
First, Schmidt won’t be allowed to represent Brazil in international games anymore (Olympics, FIBA). That was because NBA players back then were not allowed to represent their countries. That rule would soon be abolished in 1989. Second, he got a better offer from Italy which would pay him more money. There’s no denying Oscar Schmidt is one of the best, if not the best, basketball players to never play in the NBA. If he played there instead of playing in Europe and in Brazil, how much damage could he have done in the rough ’80s and ’90s NBA?
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