101 Greats of European Basketball

1,760 points in 40 games in the 1990-91 season, an
incredible 44-point average! Throughout the most important
part of his career in Italy, he played 403 games
in 11 seasons, scoring 13,957 points (34.6 ppg.). At age
39, Oscar moved to Spain and signed for Valladolid,
where he scored 2,009 points in two years (28.3 ppg.)
and finished as the Spanish League’s top scorer both
seasons. He fired in 11 of 19 three-pointers in one
game against Murcia.
Speaking of three-pointers, Schmidt once made 22
of 25 shots from downtown in the three-point contest
at the Italian League all-star game. In a public exhibition,
Oscar once made 196 consecutive free throws and 86
straight three-pointers. Once he finished playing in
Spain, Oscar went back to Brazil and played for Corinthians
(1995-97), Banco Bandeirantes Brasil (1997-98),
Gremio (1998-99) and Flamengo (1999 to 2003). He
played his last game with Flamengo on May 26, 2003,
as the club retired his jersey, number 14.
Oscar’s list of records is very long and some of
them seem impossible to reach. He holds the all-time
Olympic records for points, rebounds, minutes played,
two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws made.
Oscar had 55 points against Spain at the 1988 Olympic
Games in Seoul, an Olympic record. He played 35 World
Cup games, scoring 916 points, another record. Oscar
had 7,693 points total in 326 games with Brazil. He had
several chances to go to the NBA but refused them.
New Jersey called him three consecutive years, from
1984 to 1986, but Schmidt always rejected them because
back in those days, going to the NBA meant not
playing with his national team again – and this was the
last thing Oscar would do. Oscar successfully survived
brain surgery in 2001.
If it were up to me, I would name the top scoring
award of any competition “The Oscar Trophy”. I would
do that for Mano Santa, Oscar Schmidt and the double
meaning of his nickname.
101 greats of european basketball
Oscar Schmidt
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