Brazilian Basketball Legend Oscar Schmidt Dies Aged 68

Olympic scoring record holder Oscar Schmidt dies
 

Hall of Fame basketball icon Oscar Schmidt, nicknamed 'Holy Hand', dies at 68. He holds Olympic records for career and single-game scoring.

Brazilian basketball icon Oscar Schmidt dies following hospitalisation in Sao Paulo...

Brazilian great Oscar Schmidt has passed away aged 68, his press office confirmed on Friday, without giving details on the cause of death. He had been admitted to hospital in the São Paulo area after falling ill, the office said in an earlier statement.

Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, Schmidt’s 30-year pro career was split between clubs in Brazil and Europe.

Regarded as one of the best three-point shooters ever, Schmidt still holds the records for most points in Olympic tournament history with 1,093 and most in a single Olympic game with 55.

Schmidt guided Brazil to a win over the U.S. in the 1987 Pan American Games final - only the second time the U.S. had lost the tournament, and the first defeat on home soil.

His pinpoint shooting earned him the nickname “Holy Hand,” though he always pushed back on it, pointing to the endless hours he spent on court drilling shots.