In today's NBA foreign players are taken for granted. We've had two foreign players drafted number 1 (plus Andrew Bogut) and a foreign MVP. Furthermore, after years of American dominance, countries around the world have stood equal and above the USA in the international game. But just 20 years ago, this wasn't the case.
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Oscar Schmidt (or Mão Santa - translates to Holy Hand) played in 5 Olympics ('80, '84, '88, '92, and '96) and averaged a record 28.8 points a game, including an astounding 42.3 in Barcelona.
He is also the first foreign player with no college experience picked in the NBA draft.
A 6'8" Brazilian shooting guard with legit 3-point range, Schmidt's offensive firepower was enough to make him a 6th round draft pick in the 1984 draft. Uninterested in defense, Schmidt justified his Iverson-esque shooting habits by saying, "Some people, they play the piano. And some people, they move the piano." Nonetheless, the prospect of adding such a prolific scorer at such a nominal price was worth the roll of the dice for the New Jersey Nets.
However, years of recruitment fell upon deaf ears as Schmidt would never come to play in
the Association saying, “I know my limitations, my defects, but I could never play 10 minutes a game. [The] NBA is great if you are a star. But if not, you get moved around. My friend (Georgi) Glouchkov played a year in Phoenix. He tells me bad stories about [the] NBA. The guards [did not] like him, they don’t pass him the ball. I would not like that. I could not stand that.”
Video: Petrovic vs. Schmidt - Oscar's 44 can't match Petrovic's 62 in the European Cup
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It is assumed that it's every player's dream to play in the NBA and when they get that chance, it is expected that they will take it. When a Kirilenko or a Pavlovic postulates about playing overseas, cries of fiscal frivolity and insult echo throughout sports media. However, the story of Oscar Schmidt proves that it isn't unusual or new for a player to want to succeed on their own terms.
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Oscar Schmidt (or Mão Santa - translates to Holy Hand) played in 5 Olympics ('80, '84, '88, '92, and '96) and averaged a record 28.8 points a game, including an astounding 42.3 in Barcelona.
He is also the first foreign player with no college experience picked in the NBA draft.
A 6'8" Brazilian shooting guard with legit 3-point range, Schmidt's offensive firepower was enough to make him a 6th round draft pick in the 1984 draft. Uninterested in defense, Schmidt justified his Iverson-esque shooting habits by saying, "Some people, they play the piano. And some people, they move the piano." Nonetheless, the prospect of adding such a prolific scorer at such a nominal price was worth the roll of the dice for the New Jersey Nets.
However, years of recruitment fell upon deaf ears as Schmidt would never come to play in
the Association saying, “I know my limitations, my defects, but I could never play 10 minutes a game. [The] NBA is great if you are a star. But if not, you get moved around. My friend (Georgi) Glouchkov played a year in Phoenix. He tells me bad stories about [the] NBA. The guards [did not] like him, they don’t pass him the ball. I would not like that. I could not stand that.”
Video: Petrovic vs. Schmidt - Oscar's 44 can't match Petrovic's 62 in the European Cup
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It is assumed that it's every player's dream to play in the NBA and when they get that chance, it is expected that they will take it. When a Kirilenko or a Pavlovic postulates about playing overseas, cries of fiscal frivolity and insult echo throughout sports media. However, the story of Oscar Schmidt proves that it isn't unusual or new for a player to want to succeed on their own terms.
