Associated PressMultiple AuthorsApr 17, 2026, 04:11 PM ET
SAO PAULO — Oscar Schmidt, the Basketball Hall of Famer whom his Brazil compatriots know as the “Holy Hand,” died on Friday. He was 68.
Schmidt’s family said in a statement that Schmidt fought a brain tumor for 15 years “with courage, dignity and resilience … while remaining a role model of determination, generosity and love of life.”
“Oscar leaves a legacy that transcends sport and inspires generations of athletes and admirers in Brazil and worldwide.”
Schmidt never played in the NBA, but he is beloved in Brazil for his commitment to the national team, playing in a record-tying five consecutive Olympic Games and setting scoring records that remain. He also starred in a historic win against the United States in the final of the 1987 Pan-American Games.
Standing 2.03 meters (6-foot-8), Schmidt was a keen 3-point shooter in the 1980s when many coaches advised against it. That earned him the nickname “Mão Santa” (Holy Hand).
Schmidt debuted for Brazil at 19 in 1977 and played in every Olympics from 1980 through 1996. He’s the all-time leading scorer in Olympic history with more than 1,000 points. He was the top scorer at the Olympics in 1988 (42.3 points per game), 1992 and 1996. He still has seven of the 10 highest-scoring games in Olympic history.
He also holds the single-game records for points scored in the Olympics (55 vs. Spain in 1988) and world championships (52 vs. Australia in 1990).
Schmidt retired in 2003 at 45. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the all-time highest scorer and his tally of 49,737 points for club and country was finally eclipsed by LeBron James in 2024.
He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.