Team USA slayer Schmidt gets Ordem de Rio Branco at Summer Olympian

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Team USA slayer Schmidt gets Ordem de Rio Branco

Posted May 5, 2008 at 10:17 AM by Os Davis

Section: Culture/History, Olympic History, Events, Basketball, Featured Writers, Os Davis

Few Brazilian basketballers receive the country’s “Ordem de Rio Branco” honor, a medal bestowed upon those citizens of Brazil who “distinguish themselves as national heroes”; but then, there is only one Oscar Schmidt.

“Mão Santa” Schmidt was celebrated in Brazil for decades as the hero of its national team, a player that passed on a chance in the NBA in order to stay with Team Brazil in those days of amateurs-only at the Games. Once 1989 rolled around and the rules changed, Schmidt went on the play pro ball in Spain.

By the time Schmidt retired from the game, his stats looked something like this:

Schmidt played in five Olympics and was the top scorer in three ... In the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, he averaged an identical 24.1 points per game in seven games ... In the 1988 Olympics, he went for a crazy 42.3 points per game ... in 38 total career Olympic games, Oscar’s average was 28.8 points per game average ... Schmidt scored 49,703 points in his top-level career ... he received the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Order Award in 1996.

Along the way, Schmidt led Brazil to three South American championships and one Pan-American Games gold. It is, of course, that gold for which the United States – and basketball history – will always remember Oscar Schmidt.

In 1987, Team USA continued its decades-long dominance in international play to enter those Pan-Am Games with but one asterisk-toting loss in its entire history. David “The Admiral” Robinson, Danny Manning and the boys blazed through the tournament to the final, where Brazil awaited.

The Yanks even ran up a 14-point lead before the unexpected happened.

Happily, an excellent compilation of at least middling quality of the 1987 Brazil-USA game is available on YouTube:

See Schmidt and the boys – but especially Schmidt – seemingly magically take over in this game after a strong drive to the hoop by the Holy Hand! See Schmidt talk trash at the Americans! See Schmidt in one half of play dismantle the international legend of Team USA.

Damn, he was good.

To Mr. Schmidt, SummerOlympian tips the metaphorical cap and says, “Parabéns e saúde!”