Larry Bird calls late Oscar Schmidt ‘without a doubt’ one of best ever
Brazilian basketball legend Oscar Schmidt died Friday at age 68. Larry Bird was a long-time admirer and called him one of the greatest ever in a statement.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Larry Bird said in 2013 that he'd always hoped Brazilian basketball superstar Oscar Schmidt would come to the NBA just so he could compete against him. The two were contemporaries with similar styles and Bird wanted to see what that would be like up close. It never happened, as Schmidt was drafted in 1984 by the Nets and attended training camp but decided to return to playing professionally in Italy.
So instead, Bird became one of Schmidt's biggest American supporters, even taking the honor of presenting Schmidt at his enshrinement in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Schmidt died Friday at the age of 68 after what his family said was a 15-year battle with brain cancer. Bird -- the French Lick native, former Indiana State star, Boston Celtics legend and former Pacers head coach and president of basketball operations -- released a statement Friday night.
"I always admired Oscar and considered him a friend, he was, without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game," Bird said in the statement. "It was an honor of a lifetime when Oscar asked me to present him at his well deserved induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. My sincere condolences to Oscar's family.
" Schmidt is one of the most decorated players in international basketball history. He played in five Olympics with the Brazilian national team and holds the all-time record for scoring in both the Olympics (1,093 points) and the FIBA World Cup (906 points). No other player has scored 800 points in the Olympics and just three have scored more than 600 points.