NBA: The 6 basketball Hall of Famers to have never played in the league

Oscar Schmidt (inducted 2013)

Oscar Schmidt, full name Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt, is one of the most accomplished Olympic players to never win a medal. Often called the “Brazilian Larry Bird” Schmidt is widely considered the best scorer in international history.

Schmidt played in five straight Olympic games for the Brazilian national team from 1980 to 1996. During those years, Brazil only had a W-L record above .500 twice, in 1980 when they went 4-3 and in 1988 when they went 5-3. However, Schmidt was the runaway leader. Over his Olympic career, Schmidt recorded 210 rebounds, 44 steals, and 1,093 points over just 38 games. He would average 28 points, five rebounds, and one steal a game.

Schmidt’s best Olympic year came in 1988, when he averaged 42 points and seven rebounds. His best game would come in the same year, when Brazil faced Spain in the fifth round in the 1988 summer Olympics. Schmidt recorded 55 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Schmidt’s prolific scoring gave him the all-time leading scorer role in Olympic history, a distinction that he holds to this day.

Schmidt’s career did not just stop and start with the Olympics either. Schmidt would be an eight-time Brazilian league top scorer over his career with eight different teams. He won three gold and three silvers in South American Championship competition. Standing as a 6-foot-9 small forward, Schmidt seems to fit the mold of that position-less guard-forward combo that players like Giannis Antetokounmpo are made of today.