Brazilian scoring machine Oscar Schmidt was one of the biggest international basketball superstars. He is also widely considered the best player to never play in the NBA.
Known as 'Holy Hand' because of his impeccable shooting touch, Schmidt scored the most points by any player in basketball history until LeBron James broke his mark earlier this year. He didn't score a single point in the NBA . But looking back, Oscar firmly believes that if he played in the Association, he would have ended his career as one of the league's greatest ever.
“Yes,” Schmidt said . “Anytime. It was easier, because in the NBA at that time it was one-on-one, always. One-on-one, I’m free. If it comes to two players guarding me, maybe. I would be one of the best 10 ever."
Oscar didn't want to lose his amateur status
Well, Schmidt had his chance to play in the NBA. The Brazilian was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the sixth round of the fabled 1984 NBA Draft. However, Oscar chose not to sign with the Franchise because he prioritized playing for his country.
Back in the 80s, NBA players were not allowed to play in international tournaments. If Schmidt signed with the Nets, he would no longer be allowed to represent his country. But if he signed with a 'club' in Brazil, he would retain his amateur status. And so he chose the latter.
Oscar ended up playing for Brazil in five consecutive Olympics - 1980. 1984, 1988, 1991, and 1996. He played in a total of 38 Olympic games, racking up 1,093 total points or a scoring average of 28.3, including an unmatched 42.3 PPG scoring average in the 1988 Games.
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The U.S. got a taste of Holy Hands
Although Schmidt never got to play in the NBA, he got to test his skills against the league's stars during his stint with the Brazilian National Team. Perhaps his most unforgettable performance against a U.S. team came in the 1987 Pan-American Games in a game he calls ' the best part of my life '.
"We proved to the whole world that it was possible to beat them," Schmidt said after Brazil stunned a U.S. Team led by David Robinson, Danny Manning, and Rex Chapman. "We were afraid to lose by 50. When we beat them, everybody saw it and said, 'If they can win, we can win. So they put the Dream Team together."
That 46-point explosion highlighted Schmidt's scoring prowess and showed he could put on a show against American competition. In Barcelona, Oscar also scored 24 points against the Dream Team, proving that he can go toe-to-toe with the best of the best. Given his uncanny scoring ability, there's no doubt he would've been an all-time great in the NBA. But Top 10? Maybe not.
Related: "It was very beautiful that a guy like Kobe Bryant liked me" - Oscar Schmidt relished his meeting with Kobe Bryant
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