The assembly of a star-studded Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, aimed at reasserting American dominance in basketball, echoes a similar sentiment echoed for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. This approach initially stemmed from the country suffering a massive upset in the Pan-American Games five years prior, where a team consisting of college stars representing the United States was beaten by Brazil and their charismatic forward - Oscar Schmidt , on their home soil.
Eventually, after realizing the fear that the rest of the world might be catching up to their supremacy in the sport, the USA sent the most iconic teams assembled to the '92 Olympic Games.
Oscar Schmidt's heroics in the 1987 Pan-American Games
In 1987, the Pan American Games hit US soil for the first time since 1959. Though Team US didn't have pros, it had some serious young talent on its roster, featuring players like David Robinson, Rex Chapman, and Danny Manning, among others.
Storming their way into the gold medal match against Brazil, Team USA faced no real struggle in their journey. With 16,000 fans attending the Market Square Arenas in Indianapolis, the home team stretched their lead to as many as 16 points until a 29-year-old Schmidt took over in the second half.
He scored 35 of his total 46 points in the second half to lead Brazil to a miraculous 5-point (120-115) victory. Interestingly, this marked only the third time in the Pan-American Games' 36-year-long history that the USA had endured a defeat.
The 6'8" forward was acutely aware that his teammates were nervous as hell, but beating the mighty Americans? That was a feeling that he could never forget.
"That game was the best part of my life because we proved to the whole world that it was possible to beat them," Schmidt said . "We were afraid to lose by 50."
Getting bested by Brazil wasn't the sole loss that Team USA suffered before the '92 Olympic Games. Even in the '88 Seoul Olympics, the Soviet Union took inspiration from Brazil's work and defeated Team USA in the semi-finals, making them settle for only a bronze. Yugoslavia also beat the US squad in the World Championship in 1990, which was in Argentina.
These consecutive losses prompted FIBA to permit the USA to bring professional athletes into international competitions. Witnessing this, Schmidt grew certain that his team's triumph in '87 was instrumental in demonstrating to the world that Team USA was indeed beatable, and most importantly, that they required a fresh start.
"When we beat them, everybody saw it and said, 'If they can win, we can win,'" Schmidt added. "So they put the Dream Team together."
Schmidt was the 'Brazilian Larry Bird'
For those who might dismiss Oscar as a one-game phenomenon, it's crucial to know that he went down in basketball history as one of the greatest scorers of all time. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, the 6'8" forward logged an astonishing 49,737 points across his club and national team performances.
Moreover, not only was he enriched in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, but Schmidt also garnered comparisons to Larry Bird in his home country, solely due to his playing style and versatility.
"The big Brazilian was like a guard in a power forward's body, and he ran and jumped with equal prowess," Schmidt's Hall of Fame bio reads . "His rebounding was overshadowed by his ability to put the ball in the hole. His passing made him a complete player, a Brazilian version of Larry Bird."
Lastly, when Schmidt faced the mighty Dream Team in the Barcelona Olympics, his confidence was undeterred. Though Brazil was brutally handed a 127-83 loss by Michael Jordan & Co, the 34-year-old forward managed to drop 24 points. While this performance might have been extraordinary for plenty of fans, Brazilian basketball enthusiasts were habitual of seeing Oscar dominate.
Along with representing Brazil in five Olympic Games, Oscar also averaged the most points in three (Seul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Atlanta 1996).
So, it is indeed safe to say that without the impact of Brazilian Larry Bird, Team USA might never have been pushed to assemble the iconic Dream Team.
Related: "That's very sad for me" - Oscar Schmidt on players not committing to their countries
Most Popular
Comments / 0